‘I have heard shocking stories in Gujarat’, says Sam Pitroda

A long-time associate of the Gandhi family, Sam Pitroda, had ushered in the telecom revolution in India working closely with the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in the late 1980s. In his home State of Gujarat to help the Congress in the Assembly polls, Mr. Pitroda questions the BJP’s development model for the State. Excerpts.

I don’t know about the critical role, but I am here to do what I have been asked to do and I feel it’s my duty to do what needs to be done. At this point of time, Rahul [Gandhi, Congress vice-president] felt that we need to meet various social groups, listen to their voices, their issues. So we are having multiple meetings in cities such as Vadodara, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Surat. We just finished a meeting with women and it was shocking to hear their stories. The kind of harassment they go through, financial insecurity, income disparity. It’s absolutely appalling to hear that the State does not spend money on women-centric schemes, [and] budget is cut on health and women and child development.