Rahul Gandhi faces protests in Uttar Pradesh

JHANSI - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who arrived here Tuesday to interact with students, faced demonstrations from outfits for separate statehood and against corruption and price rise, officials said.

While activists of the Bundelkhand Mukti Morcha (BMM) threw pamphlets demanding statehood for the Bundelkhand region at Gandhi’s vehicle near the Jeevan Rah Chauraha, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists burnt his effigy to protest corruption and price rise.

“Before the last Lok Sabha elections, we were told by the Congress that efforts would be made for carving out a state for the Bundelkhand region that spans parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh,” said a BMM activist, alleging that the Congress had done nothing concrete for creating the new state.

Shouting slogans against Gandhi, ABVP activists alleged that his party has failed to address the two core issues of price rise and corruption.

“First Rahul Gandhi and his party should take steps for containing inflation and frame policies to check inflation, and later approach the youths, seeking their participation in politics,” said Arjun Bajpai, an ABVP activist.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police (City) Jagdish Singh told IANS: “Yes, it’s true that pamphlets were thrown at Gandhi’s cavalcade, but that cannot be termed a security breach.”

“Policemen are closely monitoring the entire situation. We have detained four-six BMM activists for throwing the pamphlets,” he added.

Gandhi, like during many of his interactions with students elsewhere, called upon the youths in Jhansi, nearly 300 km from Lucknow, to join politics for the betterment of the nation.

“His (Gandhi) interaction lasted for around 35-40 minutes. During the entire session, he emphasised on the role of youths in politics for the progress of the country,” said a student, who participated in the session organised by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI).

After meeting students in Jhansi, Gandhi left for Agra.