BHOPAL: Kaushal Shakya, who says he was forgotten by state Congress after being promised help in his education, has been promised help by the state government and lapped up by BJP ahead of elections.Kaushal, who had told TOI on Sunday that he desperately wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi during his Bhopal road rally, said that he couldn't even get near the Congress cavalcade. "Several people from the media contacted me today. However, there was no one to fulfil the promise made to me five years ago. I tried to meet him (Rahul) near Roshanpura, but was not allowed," he said.But BJP was quick to seize the opportunity. The party invited Kaushal to its HQ, where he spelt out his agony. Cabinet minister Narottam Mishra said: "The drama has been exposed. Congress leaders claimed to have funded Kaushal's education but the reality has been unearthed. Kaushal and his family is still living in penury. Congress president Rahul Gandhi's promise has fallen flat on his face. Even after his return to Bhopal, Rahul did not care to meet the boy. Congress could not keep its promise to one child, how will it help lakhs of other children?"Minister of state for school education Deepak Joshi told TOI that the state government will approach Kaushal. "He was promised Rs 1,000 every month it should have been given. I am shocked that he has not been contacted by Congress in the past five years," said Joshi.Congress rejected the allegation that it did not help Kaushal. State Congress media in-charge Shobha Oza told TOI: "Kaushal was admitted to school twice but he did not attend classes. We did our best to ensure that he studied, but he wasn't ready. Primarily, it is the responsibility of the state government to take care of his studies."TOI reported in Monday's edition how Kaushal and his family continue to live in a ramshackle shanty and the boy who dreamed of becoming a doctor is neither in school, nor even a newspaper hawker In May 2013, Kaushal had given a newspaper for free to Rahul during his last visit to Bhopal as he had no change for the Rs 1,000 note handed to him. While Rahul hailed him for his gesture, Congress was quick to felicitate him and promise him an aid of Rs 1,000 per month for his studies. The then PCC chief Kantilal Bhuria met Kaushal and his father Dulichand Shakya at the party office and announced that Congress would "adopt" him. But the money stopped coming after a few months, Kaushal told TOI. "When they stopped paying the money, I stopped sending Kaushal to school," said Dulichand.On Monday, BJP promised to help Kaushal. Minister Joshi said: "We will give him the help that was promised by someone else."

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