With Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra set to camp in the State from this month to activate and guide the party to the 2022 Assembly elections, the UP Congress launched a mega training camp for its block level party leaders and workers on Thursday.
The training is being held from July 1 to 8 and sessions will include ‘do’s and don’ts’ of social media and how to make people aware of the wrongdoings of other parties.
Before starting for Prayagraj to inaugurate one such training camp, UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu told media persons on Thursday that the state committee was holding these special camps to train its leaders and workers in seven of the eight zones of UP.
In these camps, UP Congress vice-president of each zone, state general secretary, state secretary, district presidents, city presidents and block presidents of all districts associated with that zone will be trained.
Lallu said these training camps were being organised first in Allahabad zone on July 1 and 2, followed by Sultanpur on July 2 and 3, Lucknow on July 3 and 4, Mathura on July 4 and 5, Jhansi on July 5 and 6, Ghaziabad on July 6 and 7 and finally Bareilly on July 7 and 8.
Lallu said, “On the first day, leaders will be imparted training related to social media and its importance in disseminating information and methods will be taught to convey the matter of oneself and the party to the public. On the second day, leaders will be introduced to the reality of Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party and information about the failures of the Yogi-Modi governments in UP and Centre will also be provided.”
Meanwhile, expelled Congressman Konark Dixit and a few others reached the Mall Avenue party headquarters in Lucknow and raised slogans against UP Congress Committee chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's personal secretary Sandeep Singh.
Later, Konark Dixit claimed that some Congress workers arrived and pelted stones at them while they were protesting.
"We were attacked, after which I dialled 112 for registering a complaint. I had no other option but to protest as these two are dismantling the party, which we can't bear at any cost. The Congress headquarters has transformed into the office of 'Vaampanthi' (left wing)," he said.
The miffed Congress leader later lodged a criminal complaint against Ajay Kumar Lallu, Sandeep Singh and others, accusing them of attacking them while they were protesting democratically. In April 2020, Congress had expelled Konark Dixit for six years for indulging in anti-party activities. The suspension letter issued by UP Congress disciplinary committee member Shyam Kishore Shukla said that Konark was making negative and baseless remarks against the party and its leaders.
Dixit, who headed the party's IT Cell, had launched a campaign against Lallu, accusing him of indulging in anti-upper caste policies.