On a day he filed his nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Saturday said that he has empowered around 12 lakh women of his constituency by  getting them bank loans.

 

 In an interview on Headlines Today news channel, Gandhi said: "I worked with the women in Amethi…I worked for them. I empowered at least 10-12 lakh women of Amethi by getting them bank loans."

 

 He believed that the absence of a Congress government in Uttar Pradesh has led to big loss for the people. "Yes..it is a fact that our government is not in Uttar Pradesh  which is big loss for the people," said Gandhi. "My goal is to handover power in the hands of the people..in the  hands of the youth and poor people. This is a mission of my life," he said.

 

 Rahul is seeking a third term from the constituency once represented by his father, late former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and his mother Sonia Gandhi.