'Acche din' for Amethi about to come: Uma Bharti
New Delhi, June 3 (IANS) Union minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday assured villagers from Amethi that for them 'acche din' (good days) were about to come as her fellow union minister Smriti Irani would now look after the place.
Bharti, the union minister of state for water resources, river development and Ganga, was speaking when villagers from Pipri village of Amethi, the parliamentary constituency of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, visited her in New Delhi.
They were accompanied by Human Resource Development minister Irani. The farmers had reportedly boycotted the last Lok Sabha polls amid complaints of neglect by Amethi politicians and administrators.
"For years, water from the Gomti river is gobbling up their land. Leaders promise that they will take care of the issue during elections but forget the issue after the elections.
"I had promised if Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister, I will take care of the issue," Irani told reporters after meeting Bharti.
After the meeting, Bharti assured the villagers of 'acche din' (good days).
"In the last 66 years, there has been no sign of development in Pipri. The Nehru-Gandhi family, for so many years, have reigned over that place. But now I can say that 'acche din' for Amethi are about to come because my little sister (Smriti Irani) will now look after Amethi," said Bharti when asked about her assurances to the villagers.
"I appreciate Smriti's efforts in trying to understand the situation of each and every village of Amethi. All of us will help Smriti in trying to rid Amethi of its bad days. Amethi will soon see the light of development," Bharti added.
Pipri was made part of Amethi constituency in the 2008 delimitation exercise.
The feeling of being neglected forced the villagers of Pipri to boycott the last general election. The reason, they said, was an unrepaired road gobbled up by the Gomti river in 2008, disconnecting the villagers from the outside world.