BHUBANESWAR: Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday extended conditional support to the Posco steel project sending a confusing signal to the State party leaders who had thrown their lot behind the anti-Posco campaign.Giving a patient hearing to woes of tribals at Jharsuguda, Rahul asserted that people affected by the Posco project must get justice, proper compensation and rehabilitation. He said development is essential but it has to be ensured that people affected in this process must be adequately taken care of.“If Posco provides proper rehabilitation to the affected people, then we will be with Posco. If it fails to do so, we will be with the agitating people fighting for justice,” he said during an interaction with tribals at a youth conference.Rahul reached here on Wednesday on a two-day visit to the State. Besides Jharsuguda, he visited Kotpad and Baripada. Rahul will not visit Dhinkia, the headquarters of the anti-Posco agitation.“Congress is with the people to provide them justice.Development is essential, but the project-affected people should be provided proper compensation and rehabilitation,” Rahul, who had backed tribals of Niyamgiri who had opposed Vedanta’s mining project, said.Laying thrust on the development models, Rahul said he supported projects like Posco and Vedanta provided people displaced were adequately compensated.Interacting with tribal youths at Kotpad, Rahul asked them to come forward to take up leadership. “Leadership is lacking among adivasi youths. Do not tolerate injustice, come forward to take the leadership for your own community,” he told them.Rahul exhorted the youths at Baripada to join politics and become the harbingers of change. A helicopter carrying the Gandhi scion landed here around 3.20 pm amidst tight security and inclement weather.The AICC general secretary reached Bhubaneswar in the evening after the Baripada programme. He will address a public meeting in the capital on Thursday before winding up his two-day programme.
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