Rahul Gandhi holds ‘Janata Darbar’ in Rae Bareli, SP workers attend

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday held a ‘Janata Darbar’ in his parliamentary constituency of Rae Bareli, where residents raised civic and development-related concerns.

Samajwadi Party leaders and workers, Mahila Congress representatives and members of several local organisations also met Gandhi during the interaction.

A resident drew his attention to the poor condition of the road connecting Lucknow Road near the Industrial Training Institute to the Rae Bareli–Lucknow and Sultanpur national highways. He said the route remained riddled with potholes despite serving institutions such as the National Institute of Fashion Technology and the ITI, as well as a temple visited by large numbers of devotees.

The resident alleged that although the ‘bhoomi pujan’ for the road had been performed and assurances of its construction had been given, work had yet to begin. Rahul Gandhi assured him that he would examine the matter.

A woman attending the meeting urged Gandhi to tour the city during his visits to gain a direct understanding of residents’ basic problems. She said the Congress leader had promised to take up the issues.

Akhilesh Mahi, state secretary of the Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade, sought Gandhi’s support for the construction of a memorial and a public square in honour of Rajendra Yadav, a soldier from Rae Bareli who was killed in the 1999 Kargil War.

Mahi said the district had yet to establish a statue or memorial commemorating Yadav’s sacrifice. He claimed Rahul Gandhi had assured him of prompt action on the request.

The SP leader also expressed confidence that the Congress-SP alliance would mount a strong challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party and secure a majority in the next Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Mahila Congress office-bearers, including the organisation’s district president Shailaja Singh, met Rahul Gandhi and welcomed him to the constituency. Singh praised the Congress leader for raising issues affecting young people.

Anil Mishra, president of the Freedom Fighters’ Descendants Organisation, submitted a memorandum seeking the preservation of the legacy of the state’s freedom fighters and martyrs. He also called for the early completion of the pending beautification work at the Munshiganj Martyrs’ Memorial.

Representatives of the Brahma Kumaris extended their wishes to Gandhi, while Jyoti Behan tied a ‘rakhi’ on his wrist.

On Tuesday night, Rahul Gandhi met bullion traders who raised concerns over what they described as a nearly 50 per cent decline in the gold and silver trade. He reportedly assured them that the issue of higher Goods and Services Tax on precious metals would be raised in Parliament.

Concluding his visit on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi attended a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee meeting at Bachat Bhawan and discussed development projects with officials.

With IANS inputs