Cong fumes over bridge opening

Adding a new dimension to the saying that politicians promise to build a bridge even where there is no river,the BSP on Wednesday stole a march on the Congress by inaugurating a bridge in Sonia Gandhis Rae Bareli constituency....

Adding a new dimension to the saying that politicians promise to build a bridge even where there is no river,the BSP on Wednesday stole a march on the Congress by inaugurating a bridge in Sonia Gandhis Rae Bareli constituency,which the Congress president was supposed to throw open later this month.

Not only this,the inauguration was advanced by a day,originally scheduled for Thursday,and UPs PWD Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui did not go to Rae Bareli to do the honours. He inaugurated the bridge by unveiling a plaque dedicating the bridge to the people at a hurriedly organised function in a Lucknow auditorium.

And the minister who was going to Rae Bareli Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways R P N Singh was allegedly detained for around two-and-a-half hours near Jagdishpur in the name of law and order,and not allowed to proceed to the bridge near Dalmau.

In Lucknow,PWD officials were asked to make arrangements for the inauguration as the PWD Minister rushed back from Aligarh,sources said. We were told by officers to gather in the auditorium for a Holi Milan. We rushed to the hall and then we got to know that the minister is going to dedicate the Rae Bareli bridge to the people, said a PWD employee.

However,Siddiqui said Chief Minister Mayawati was supposed to inaugurate the bridge on her birthday on January 15,but the work on the approach road was not complete at that time. I had met the Union Minister of Road Transport Kamal Nath on November 14,2009 and drawn his attention to our problems. He had assured to look into these,but has not done anything so far, Siddqui said,adding that he would visit the bridge on Thursday.

As for the charge that the Centre had funded the bridge,Siddiqui said the money the Centre got from certain taxes on the sale of diesel and petrol was meant for spending in the states.

However,the Congress workers claimed the bridge had been built with central funds and Sonias efforts,and the state government wanted to pre-empt its inauguration by the Congress president. They urged Governor B L Joshi to intervene.

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While Singh called his detention a violation of the countrys federal system,Rae Bareli District Magistrate Charanjit Singh denied that the minister was detained. He was requested to stay there in view of the law and order situation. He was stopped there, the DM said,adding that the Union Minister had visited the district without prior information.

Singh said that he would move a privilege motion against the state administration.

It is clear that the state government does not believe in democracy. I have written to the Speaker about the breach of my privilege. As a Union Minister,I was detained by the local administration and police on my way to inspect construction work done with Central funds, Singh told The Indian Express. As a Central minister,I can inspect the work done through Central funds the Centre had released around Rs 30 crore for the bridge. Moreover,one does not inform in advance for carrying out a spot inspection he added.