Lucknow: With an aim to make it big in the coming Lok Sabha elections, congress party began its `UP Jodo Yatra’ in the state from Wednesday.
On the tunes of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, state congress president Ajai Rai has decided to cover 11 districts in UP on foot. The Yatra that started from Shakumbari Devi temple in Saharanpur would culminate in Lucknow on January 12. During the 25 days of Yatra congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi might join it.
First day of UP Jodo Yatra
On the first day before beginning the Yatra from Behat, Saharanpur, UP congress president Ajai Rai said that the tremendous response from the people has enthused the party. He said that the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) pays no attention to the problem of cane farmers who are not getting price for their produce. Rai said that people are suffering due to inflation and rising price of gas and petrol. He offered prayers at Shakumbari Devi temple and started the Yatra with several thousand congressmen from all over the state who had reached Saharanpur to become a part of it. The first day of Yatra concluded at GS Vidyarthi Chowk in Gangoh city of Saharanpur. Rai said this Yatra is inspired by the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi.
List of places to be covered under 'UP Jodo Yatra'
According to the general secretary organization of UP Congress, Anil Yadav the UP Jodo Yatra would cover Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur, Sitapur and Lucknow districts. Everyday the congress men led by state president Ajai Rai would travel 20 kilometers on foot. Senior congress leaders have been made in charge of Yatra in various districts. These include former union minister Pradeep Jain Aditya, Imran Masood, Jafar Ali Naqvi and Ravi Prakash Verma.
On the first day of the Yatra, UP congress president Ajai Rai was accompanied by legislators party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona, former state president Brijlal Khabri, former minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, former MP Rajesh Mishra, national secretaries Dheeraj Gujjar, Tauqeer Alam, Pradeep Narwal, MP Imran Pratapgarhi, national spokesperson Supriya Srinet, state vice-president Vishwavijya Singh, Vivek Bansal, CP Rai, Shahnawaj Alam and many other senior leaders.