Bhopal, Dec 21 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh unit BJP chief and Lok Sabha MP from Khajuraho, V.D. Sharma hit at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over issues of 'poverty', 'migration' and 'drought' in the Bundelkhand region while holding his party responsible for the lack of development in the area.

The Khajuraho MP said that Rahul Gandhi has often "lamented" and "made fun of poverty" of Bundelkhand, but the Congress kept this region deprived of development for decades despite being in power in the state and Centre for decades.

Sharma said this while referring indirectly to Rahul Gandhi's allegation about the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government of misusing a special package of Rs. 7,266 crore for development of the drought-hit region allocated by the UPA government in 2009.

In the run-up to the Assembly elections in November last year, addressing a public rally in Bundelkhand region, Rahul Gandhi had leveled serious allegation on the BJP government of misuse of money allocated as special package for Bundelkhand.

Briefing the mediapersons on Saturday about BJP-led MP government's preparation for Ken-Betwa river interlinking project, Sharma said the scarcity of water from Bundelkhand will be a history now, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to kick-start river linking project.

Notably, PM Modi will lay the foundation of the river interlining project during his visit to Bundelkhand's Chhatarpur district (under Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat) on the occasion of 100th birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the auspicious Christmas Day on December 25.

The state government claimed the project will provide water for irrigation in 10.62 lakh hectares in the Bundelkhand region, spread across Madhya Pradesh (8.11 lakh hectares) and Uttar Pradesh (2.51 lakh hectares), besides supplying drinking water to 41 lakh population in MP and 21 lakh in Uttar Pradesh.

The project to link the Ken and Betwa rivers will benefit Chhatarpur, Panna, Tikamgarh, Niwadi, Damoh, Shivpuri, Datia, Raisen, Vidisha and Sagar districts of the state.

He said Bundelkhand is also getting ready to witness industrial growth in coming years, for which Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led MP BJP government has already started its preparations by organising Regional Industry Conclave (RIC) in Sagar district.

"In 2019, when the BJP made me a candidate for Khajuraho Lok Sabha constituency, I and visited to the people in rural areas, people had demanded two things. One that Lok Sabha MP should visit to them, and another to resolve drought issue and provide water," Sharma added.

In the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, migration is also common due to topographical limitations and historical context. Many migrants are seasonal and circular migrants who earn and send money back home.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS

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