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Rahul guides Gates on rural UP tour
Microsoft Chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates had a VVIP interpreter during his visit to Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday — Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
Microsoft Chairman and philanthropist Bill Gates had a VVIP interpreter during his visit to Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday — Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi.
The reason: Gates’s itinerary included Rahul’s parliamentary constituency Amethi, where he planned to spend the night, and Rae Bareli, which returned Congress president Sonia Gandhi to the Lok Sabha.
Gates was visiting these two places and adjoining Pratapgarh with the aim of striking a partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the private Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust that runs welfare projects in the Rae Bareli, Sultanpur and Pratapgarh districts.
Gates, co-chair of one of the biggest charitable organisations in the world, spoke to villagers, with Rahul Gandhi playing the role of guide and interpreter.
Both Gates and Rahul showed no discomfort as they spent an hour at each halt, even though most of the rooms were cramped, had no fans or cooling systems or even electricity.
Asha, a village girl who dropped out of class VIII, said, “He (Gates) asked me why I didn’t continue my studies. He asked the people why we don’t get power. He asked us to study and learn English and computers.”
