Lucknow, Mar. 29 (ANI): Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday reached out to the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) Government in Uttar Pradesh, and assured full central assistance in the state's development.
Amid speculation that the Samajwadi Party might pull out of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre, Chidambaram assured the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister as well as Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav that the Centre stands committed to the state's development.
"You have a young chief minister. He started his tenure well. I think he has now understood the size of the problems of UP and I am sure he and his team will do their best to bring UP up in every single way," said Chidambaram.
"And I want to take this opportunity to assure the chief minister and his team as well as the President of their party 'Netaji' (Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav) that the Government of India is committed to stand by Uttar Pradesh in the development of Uttar Pradesh," he added.
Chidambaram, who was speaking at the inauguration of 300 bank branches here, also hinted that the Centre would lay emphasis on the development projects in Uttar Pradesh.
"I know that UP has large financial needs. This morning the Chief Minister and the officials sat with me and went over a number of proposals. Many of the proposals concerned other ministries and departments. But I have promised them that when I get back to Delhi, I will look into each of the proposals," said Chidambaram.
"In an about one or two weeks we should be able to get an idea of where these proposals stand, then I will invite the Chief Minister and officials of the Government of UP to come and meet us in to Delhi," he added.
Chidambaram said Uttar Pradesh is in many ways India's most important state.
"It has a population of little over 20 crores. Its land mass is only next to I think Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. In many ways, UP's development, UP's progress will determine India's development, India's progress," said Chidambaram.
"Let me assure everyone that the Government of India does not discriminate between one state and another. It does not favour one state against another state. We want all of India to grow and especially we want the poorer states, the less privileged states to grow so that while they grow the nation grows and the average in the nation increases," he added, while rubbishing the charges often made by the non-Congress states that the UPA Government discriminated against them.
Expressing his delight to be present at the inaugural ceremony of 300 bank branches in Lucknow, Chidambaram said this is a unique and an extraordinary event in many ways.
"Never before have we inaugurated 300 bank branches in one single day. I am told the highest we have done is 100 a day. It's like scoring a triple century in a cricket match," he added.
The Finance Minister also congratulated Team Akhilesh for working with the bankers in about three months to make this possible.
"I compliment all the bankers and I compliment the Government of Uttar Pradesh," he said.
Asserting that bank braches are important for many many reasons, Chidambaram said: " People complain that they cannot open a bank account. If there is no bank branch say within 10 kilometers, how do you open a bank account? If there is no bank branch, how do you apply for a loan? How can you get a loan? How can anybody give a loan? People complain about financial inclusion. Without bank branches, how do you reach out to people to mobilize their savings, to help them save in a bank account and take it out of the bank account."
"I think bank branches are extremely important and I am very happy that there is now a rising consciousness, a rising demand from the people open a branch in our town, open a branch in our village. And I am sure that the bankers will respond," he added.
The Samajwadi Party provides outside support to the UPA. The Samajwadi Party supremo has, however, off late lashed out at the ruling Congress Party, thereby hinting that this outfit could possibly withdraw its support to the government in the coming days. (ANI)
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