Congress on path to form its own government in UP in 2012: Mohd Azharuddin

If the Congress continues to get love and support of the people (as in recent Parliamentary poll) it would succeed in the 2012 mission of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of forming the party government in Uttar Pradesh, cricketer-politician Mohd Azharuddin said today.

The party would realise its dream of forming government in UP if it continues to get love and support of the people (as it received during recent Parliamentary poll), Azhar, who was in Basti to campaign in favour of party candidate for Doomariyaganj assembly by-poll, told reporters.

He alleged that communal politics of the non-Congress governments in the past two decades had pushed UP backwards in terms of development.

"It is the need of the hour that people should give priority to communal harmony and development and ensure victory of the Congress candidate," the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Meerut said.

Highlighting Congress concerns for minorities, he said prime minister Manmohan Singh had taken an initiative to improve socio-economic status of minorities by implementing recommendations of the Sachar committee.

"Lakhs of minority students in the state are getting benefit of 15-point programme of the prime minister on education," he said.

Azhar said that the Centre was running 52 welfare schemes in the state and was allotting 90% fund.

"But the state government is misutilising fund as a result people are not getting benefits of these schemes," he alleged taking a potshot at the BSP government.