Rahul starts UP campaign from Rudrapur

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
Rudrapur, September 6

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched his Uttar Pradesh poll campaign with a door-to-door farmers’ outreach in agriculture-dominated Rudrapur belt of eastern UP.

Trailed by the SPG which played a spoiler, Rahul landed at Panchlari village by a chopper and began moving into rural households, most of them debt-ridden.

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“The Centre has no care for the poor and farmers. It has waived loans of big industrialists. But it does not think about you. The Congress will put pressure on the central government to waive your loans,” Rahul said to a string of farmers’ families which complained of debts ranging from Rs 35,000 to Rs 70,000.

Accompanied by Congress general secretary in charge of UP Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rahul spoke to farmers and gave them assurance on the promises he was making.

Rahul met four families and promised them, “Karza maaf, bijli bill half.” He said the Congress will espouse farmers’ causes and deliver on its promises if voted to power.

The door-to-door campaign was the first leg of Rahul’s kisan mahayatra launch which will see him address two major khaat sabhas where thousands of farmers from the area are expected to congregate.
The mahayatra will cover 2,500 km from Deoria to Delhi starting Tuesday.