Rahul Gandhi's Roti, Charpai and Padyatra seems to have created flutter in UP Government led by Corruption Queen Mayawati. Congress General Secretary left for Tappal in west Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday morning as he took on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on her home turf. Rahul Gandhi started the padyatra on Tuesday from Bhatta-Parsaul village.
Rahul Gandhi resumed his footmarch on Wednesday to make common cause with farmers in Uttar Pradesh over land acquisition after an overnight halt at this village where in slept in the open. The 41-year-old AICC general secretary is on the second day of his padayatra in Western UP, a footmarch billed as a campaign against Chief Minister Mayawati ahead of the Congress' proposed 'kisan mahapanchayat' in the neighbouring Aligarh district on July 9.
The Congress leader resumed his yatra at 6:20 am and visited Sabautajafrabad and Alawalpur villages. "At both the places he held chaupal with the villagers and enquired about their problems and issues," UPCC spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.
The Congress General Secretary made impromptu stops on Tuesday, interacting with villagers. The padyatra will culminate at the Congress' Kisan Mahapanchayat at Aligarh on Saturday.
On his first night on the padyatra, Rahul Gandhi had a simple meal of four rotis and slept on a charpai at a farmer's house in Rampur.
On day two of his four day padyatra through UP's villages, Rahul told farmers that they were being looted in 'Mayaraj'.
"If someone steals from the bank, he is locked up in the jail. Here you are being stolen from and you are suffering. People were beaten up in Bhatta Parsaul, it is being said that nothing happened there In Tappal people were beaten up, nothing happened there. Your voices need to be heard. That is why I have come here. Poor people are being robbed and the entire nation is silent. And the biggest robbery is taking place here in Uttar Pradesh," Rahul said.
Rahul was referring to farmers losing land through the state government's land acquisition policy.
The Uttar Pradesh government has imposed Section 144 in the area.
The Aligarh Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Shatrughan Singh says he doesn't have any written intimation of Rahul's movements and that no action can be taken against him until he enters Aligarh district.
"For any kind of action we have to first see whether he is entering Aligarh, how many people are with him" said Sinha.
The ADM, however, said that permission had been granted for the July 9 Kisan Mahapanchayat at Aligarh. He also added that Section 144 was in place for the last ten days and would continue till the end of the month.
Congress party leaders reacted strongly to the UP government's imposing Section 144 and said that if what Rahul was doing was a farce then the BSP should go to the people and clarify it.
"Both BSP and BJP's match is fixed. They will fight the next assembly elections together. If this is a 'nautanki', even they should go to the people, tell them what they have to say. Why impose 144?" said Digvijaya Singh.
For the next two months Rahul Gandhi will be on the road - though his camp says his padyatra has nothing to do with the UP elections, pointing out that no one from the UPCC is present, there is no doubt he has begun his journey to what is perhaps the biggest political challenge of his career.
The Congress leader said the Uttar Pradesh Government came up with a new policy on land acquisition after farmers protested against acquiring land. "But the new policy is not being used where it should be," he told the villagers.
Rahul said when "rich people sell their lands in Delhi, they get high market value. But, here land is being taken forcibly from farmers. While the market rate is above Rs 1,000, you are getting only Rs 200."
He said the farmers, whose land is being acquired by the Uttar Pradesh Government, are not aware why their properties are being taken away. "I have been asking the people why your land is being taken away. They say that they are not aware... when somebody commits robbery in bank, the police catches the culprit. But here your land is being robbed and police are firing at you," he said.
He asked the farmers and people to share their stories with him, saying he has come to them to hear their version of the story.
UP State administration had earlier refused to give permission for a Mahapanchayat in Bhatta-Parsual, citing security concerns.
Caught off-guard by Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bhatta Parsaul on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government has denied having any prior knowledge about the Congress general secretary's footmarch. "The state has not been told about the duration of his stay, we came to know about his visit only when he arrived in the state," a senior official said.
Rahul Gandhi resumed his footmarch on Wednesday to make common cause with farmers in Uttar Pradesh over land acquisition after an overnight halt at this village where in slept in the open. The 41-year-old AICC general secretary is on the second day of his padayatra in Western UP, a footmarch billed as a campaign against Chief Minister Mayawati ahead of the Congress' proposed 'kisan mahapanchayat' in the neighbouring Aligarh district on July 9.
The Congress leader resumed his yatra at 6:20 am and visited Sabautajafrabad and Alawalpur villages. "At both the places he held chaupal with the villagers and enquired about their problems and issues," UPCC spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.
The Congress General Secretary made impromptu stops on Tuesday, interacting with villagers. The padyatra will culminate at the Congress' Kisan Mahapanchayat at Aligarh on Saturday.
On his first night on the padyatra, Rahul Gandhi had a simple meal of four rotis and slept on a charpai at a farmer's house in Rampur.
On day two of his four day padyatra through UP's villages, Rahul told farmers that they were being looted in 'Mayaraj'.
"If someone steals from the bank, he is locked up in the jail. Here you are being stolen from and you are suffering. People were beaten up in Bhatta Parsaul, it is being said that nothing happened there In Tappal people were beaten up, nothing happened there. Your voices need to be heard. That is why I have come here. Poor people are being robbed and the entire nation is silent. And the biggest robbery is taking place here in Uttar Pradesh," Rahul said.
Rahul was referring to farmers losing land through the state government's land acquisition policy.
The Uttar Pradesh government has imposed Section 144 in the area.
The Aligarh Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Shatrughan Singh says he doesn't have any written intimation of Rahul's movements and that no action can be taken against him until he enters Aligarh district.
"For any kind of action we have to first see whether he is entering Aligarh, how many people are with him" said Sinha.
The ADM, however, said that permission had been granted for the July 9 Kisan Mahapanchayat at Aligarh. He also added that Section 144 was in place for the last ten days and would continue till the end of the month.
Congress party leaders reacted strongly to the UP government's imposing Section 144 and said that if what Rahul was doing was a farce then the BSP should go to the people and clarify it.
"Both BSP and BJP's match is fixed. They will fight the next assembly elections together. If this is a 'nautanki', even they should go to the people, tell them what they have to say. Why impose 144?" said Digvijaya Singh.
For the next two months Rahul Gandhi will be on the road - though his camp says his padyatra has nothing to do with the UP elections, pointing out that no one from the UPCC is present, there is no doubt he has begun his journey to what is perhaps the biggest political challenge of his career.
The Congress leader said the Uttar Pradesh Government came up with a new policy on land acquisition after farmers protested against acquiring land. "But the new policy is not being used where it should be," he told the villagers.
Rahul said when "rich people sell their lands in Delhi, they get high market value. But, here land is being taken forcibly from farmers. While the market rate is above Rs 1,000, you are getting only Rs 200."
He said the farmers, whose land is being acquired by the Uttar Pradesh Government, are not aware why their properties are being taken away. "I have been asking the people why your land is being taken away. They say that they are not aware... when somebody commits robbery in bank, the police catches the culprit. But here your land is being robbed and police are firing at you," he said.
He asked the farmers and people to share their stories with him, saying he has come to them to hear their version of the story.
UP State administration had earlier refused to give permission for a Mahapanchayat in Bhatta-Parsual, citing security concerns.
Caught off-guard by Rahul Gandhi's visit to Bhatta Parsaul on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government has denied having any prior knowledge about the Congress general secretary's footmarch. "The state has not been told about the duration of his stay, we came to know about his visit only when he arrived in the state," a senior official said.
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