The UP Congress organised a Bheem Bhoj and other programmes to celebrate the 72nd birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on Saturday.
UPCC chief Raj Babbar garlanded the former PM’s statue and exhorted partymen to follow the path shown by Rajiv Gandhi. He said that every party leader should be ready to devote his life for the welfare of the mases and not hesitate to sacrifice their lives just like Rajiv Gandhi or Indira Gandhi did to safeguard communal harmony. He also attended Bheem Bhoj (community feast) for Dalits.
Remembering the former PM inlucknow on Saturday, former UPCC chief Dr Rita Bahuguna Joshi described Rajiv Gandhi as an able administrator and a farsighted politician who gave a new direction to the country.
“Besides bringing about a revolution in information technology, the former PM also took significant steps towards implementation of development schemes at rural level by vesting more powers in Panchayati Raj institutions,” Dr Joshi said.
“It was Rajiv Gandhi who for the first time linked the country’s youth to the political mainstream by granting them voting rights at the age of 18,” she pointed out.
Meanwhile in Amethi, a seat which Rajiv Gandhi represented in the Parliament from 1981 till his assassination in 1991, Congress activists paid rich tributes to the former PM on his birth anniversary.
Congress activists led by Chandra Kant Dubey, Yogendra Mishra (district unit chief) and spokesman Anil Singh joined the ‘Prabhat Pheri’ in different parts of the constituency and garlanded the Rajiv Gandhi’s statue at Sagra Tiraha in Amethi town. They also held meetings at block levels to pay tributes
to the departed leader.
Meanwhile to accomplice Mission-2017, the UP Congress will take out the second leg of Yatra from Sunday which will be flagged off inlucknow by AICC general secretary and in-charge of UP Gulam Nabi Azad.
“The yatra would be flagged off after a press conference at the state party headquarters at 11am on Sunday,” said Chairman of UPCC media cell Satyadeo Tripathi.
Two AC buses were being decorated at the state party office for the Yatra and thevehciles were equipped with all basic facilities so that the leaders don’t face problems during the travel. The second leg will culminate on October 9 and by thattime, all remaining 66 districts of the state will be covered.
While one yatra will be led by party’s CM candidate Sheila Dikshit and Campaign Committee in-charge Sanjay Singh, the other group will be headed by UPCC chief Raj Babbar and Co-ordination Committee Chairman Pramod Tewari.
Senior leaders including former ministers will also participate in the yatras from time to time and would expose the non-performance of non-Congress governments in UP during the last 27 years.