Already upbeat with the recent success of `Bus Yatra’ as well as road show of Party president Sonia Gandhi in Varanasi and `Samwad’ (interaction) programme of Rahul Gandhi here in lucknow, Congressmen had geared up to make this year `Rajeev Jyoti Sadbhawna Yatra’ a memorable one.
The yatra starting from Shreeperambdur in Tamil Nadu on August 9 every year and completing in ``Veer Bhumi’ in New Delhi on former prime minister Rajeev Gandhi’s birth anniversary on August 20, passed through Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. Sources said that all out efforts were made to use the occasion to further give a kick to the Party’s campaign `Mission 2017’ for retaining power in UP after 27-years of exile.
``Preparations are in full swing to give a memorable welcome to Rajeev Jyoti Sadbhawna Yatra as soon as it enters UP after leaving Ranchi and reaching Varanasi on August 14”, claimed Sanjay Bajpai, spokesman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee media cell. Bajpai claimed here on Friday afternoon that over a lakh workers and followers of former PM Rajeev Gandhi will join the Yatra which would leave Varanasi on August 15 and passing through Allahabad, Amethi, Rae Bareli reached Agra on next day. On August 18, it will leave Agra and through Gurgaon, and will reach Veer Bhumi in New Delhi on August 20, when the entire nation was celebration Rajeev’s birth anniversary.
Meanwhile Sheila Dikshit, the chief ministerial face of Congress in UP is coming here on four days tour starting fromSaturday evening. According to an official release of the Party, Dikshit will reach lucknow on Saturday evening and would leave for Unnao on the next morning. In Unnao she will garland the statues of former prime minister lal Bhadhur Shashtri and veteran Congress leader Uma Shankar Dikshit (her father-in-law) before inaugurating a camp of Sewa Dal. She will also attend a lunch hosted by senior leaders of the Party in Unnao and would also address a press conference before coming back to lucknow on the same evening. She will also stay in the state capital on Monday and Tuesday but her programme is yet to be disclosed. Sources said that former Delhi CM might also hold her maiden press conference here at lucknow.