Ahead of mahapanchayat, Rahul in Bhatta-Parsaul, starts padayatra
Posted: Wed Jul 06 2011, 04:20 hrsGreater Noida:With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections less than a year away, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday threw a fresh challenge at Chief Minister Mayawati by visiting the epicentre of the recent farmers' agitation over land acquisition — Bhatta-Parsaul — and launching a padayatra to garner support for his Kisan Mahapanchayat.
The padayatra, Kisan Sandesh Yatra, will culminate on July 9 in Aligarh, where Rahul is scheduled to address the Kisan Mahapanchayat. Rahul will tour villages alongside the Yamuna Expressway till Aligarh.
Till evening, Rahul walked around 25 km on foot, according to UPCC spokesman Akhilesh Pratap Singh, who is accompanying him.
In three villages — Rustampur, Nangla Bhatona and Dayanatpur — he held 'choupals' or informal gatherings, to interact with the villagers.
Starting from Bhatta village in Greater Noida, around 6.30 am, Rahul visited five villages of Gautam Budh Nagar district, meeting farmers and asking them about problems they faced.
Most villagers expressed anguish against land acquisition in the state and complained of insufficient compensation.
In Rustampur, where he held the first choupal, Rahul stayed for almost an hour. "I have come today to meet all of you. I assure you all that the situation of utter chaos in Uttar Pradesh will be normalised. You all should know that I am with you," Rahul told the villagers.
"I went to Bhatta-Parsaul some time ago. Only I and the villagers know the truth of those villages. I know land is the biggest problem here. From Delhi, we tried to resolve your problems but at such far distance it is impossible to understand what you are going through. That is why I have come here," Rahul said at Nangla Bhatona.
--Mahi
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