Centre hits back at Rahul Gandhi over food park in Amethi, shows a denial letter from UPA government

New Delhi: A proposed food park in Amethi is the latest flashpoint between the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. The Narendra Modi government on Monday hit back at Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi over the proposed food park in his constituency Amethi.

The Centre released a letter issued in December 2012 by the Congress-led UPA government. The letter was issued by the Petroleum Ministry and shows the government had then denied allocation of domestic gas for the food park.

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kuar Badal also raised the issue in the Parliament in mid May 2015.

Earlier on Monday, in his first visit to Amethi since he returned from his nearly a two-month long sabbatical, Rahul accused the Modi government of ignoring the plight of farmers and only aiding corporates.

Pointing at the overseas travel which Modi has undertaken, Rahul said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting foreign places while ignoring the plight of farmers and labourers back home.

Rahul said, "We have not got the facts wrong, the BJP has. The Prime Minister has the right to travel but it is his duty to visit farmers first. It is a simple fact that the BJP took the food park away from Amethi."

Rahul said he would give the NDA dispensation "zero out of 10" for its handling of issues involving farmers and labourers as he arrived in Amethi to meet cultivators who suffered crop loss due to unseasonal rainfall and hailstorms in the last couple of months.

"The move of BJP-led government has affected farmers and labourers of Amethi and 10 neighbouring districts. The Centre wanted to take revenge from me, but the move has affected farmers.

Rahul also accused the government of vendetta politics said the government has snatched away the food park not only from him, but from the farmers.

Rahul said, "BJP's vindictive politics is hurting farmers. The BJP government's move is harmful for farmers of Amethi and all of India. In their attempt to attack me politically, BJP is hurting farmers. We will pressure the government to get it back," Rahul said at Jagdishpur, on the first day of his three-day visit to Amethi.

Rahul's visit come days after Union Minister Smriti Irani visited the constituency. Rejecting Rahul's allegation, Smriti had accused the him of misleading the people of Amethi as well as Parliament over the food park issue.

Rahul has slammed the Centre both inside and out of Parliament over the food park issue.

Rahul will also address a public meeting in Kasara village on May 19. UPCC general secretary Rajiv Singh said that Rahul will inaugurate a number of projects completed from his MPLAD fund including marriage houses, solar water pumps and some roads.