Sonia makes poll pitch, says fuel price cut soon

Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh): Prices of petroleum products are likely to be reduced soon, a step that will help bring down inflation rate further, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said on Tuesday.
"The prices of petroleum products have decreased recently and I expect that soon they will dip further," she said.
With international crude prices continuing to drop, there is speculation that government may slash petrol prices by Rs 5 per litre.
Gandhi said that despite a steep hike in the prices of international crude oil, "the Government kept it under control in the country by extending subsidy of Rs 1 lakh crore".
"I can say without hesitation that no Government has been able to achieve what the UPA regime has done in the last five years on all fronts," Gandhi said at the foundation laying ceremony of rail coach factory in Rae Bareli.
"When the world was reeling under recession, India was bound to be affected. But the UPA government has been very alert," she said, adding that there has been no reduction in bank loans to small industries, agriculture, rural development and infrastructure sectors.
Thanking Railway Minister Lalu Prasad for setting up the rail coach factory, Gandhi hoped that in the next rail budget, Prasad would bring more good news for the region.
Rahul on changing the face of Rae Bareli, Amethi
AICC General Secretary and MP from Amethi Rahul Gandhi said setting up of the
rail coach factory in the district would act as a catalyst and trigger rapid industrailisation in the Rae Bareli and Amethi.
"The coach factory will change the face and fate of the two constituencies in the years to come as it will not only generate employment opportunities for thousands of youths but will also develop the area as a major centre of industrialisation," he said while addressing a rally after bhoomi pujan of the factory.
"In the last five years, Sonia Gandhi has done a lot for the development and better of the two constituencies. She makes it a point to visit her constituency every month. But the coach factory is the biggest step taken in the last five years," he said.
Rahul said a number of auxillary units would come up in the area to support the main factory once the project was executed.
"There are two more coach factories in Tamil Nadu and Kapurthala, which saw unprecedented growth in the last few years. I am sure that like Kapurthala, the coach factory here will accelerate the development of Rae Bareli district as well," he added.
Rahul, however, said the coach factory was just one step, adding similar initiatives would be taken in time to come for the development of the twin constituencies.
"With a focus on education and employment, a lot has been done on the two fronts, of which NIFT and the Petro Institute are an example," he said, adding Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has promised to set up an apprentice training centre in the area.
"Though I am an MP from Amethi but I work for both the constituencies. I feel like a junior MP of Rae Bareli," he added.