UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri received a shot in the arm when All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and in-charge of UP, Madhusudan Mistri ruled out any change in the state leadership. On prospect of a grand alliance, Mistri said that it was too early for the party to decide on an alliance or poll strategy for the 2017 Assembly polls.
“There is Assembly polls in five states before UP goes to polls in 2017. Hence there is adequate time to discuss it. But after the Bihar polls, people of UP have expressed their keenness for Congress,” asserted Mistri in lucknow on Friday. He was interacting with media persons after attending a meet of state and district level office bearers on how to revive party in UP.
Mistri categorically stated that there was no move to change the state president and said, “Don’t write or speculate about change of state leadership on hearsay. Confirm it from me if needed.”
The AICC general secretary, who is slated to to chair a similar meeting of senior leaders in Greater Noida on Saturday, said that the leaders have put forward several suggestions including going for alliance in the Assembly polls which will be examined in detail at a later stage.
When asked if there would a chief ministerial candidate of the party in the UP polls, Mistri said that such a decision will be taken by the party high command.
On the party’s prospects in UP after the Bihar polls, the Congress leader said that people in UP too are politically aware like their Bihar counterparts. He believed that UP too like Bhar will set a trend for the nation.
“I have asked the UP leaders to give eight times of the present strength in UP Assembly of 28 as Bihar has given seven times of the strength from four to 27,” he said. Talking about PM Narendra Modi, Mistri said that Modi has been taught a lesson in Bihar which he had never imagined.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and in-charge of Party affairs here in Uttar Pradesh Madhusudan Mistri, finally made it official that the Party vice-president, Rahul Gandhi would lead a padyatra besides holding `chaupals’ in Saharanpur on coming Monday.
Congress MP from Amethi would take first hand account of problems faced by the farmers and to support their demand of increase in support price of food grains particularly sugarcane. `The Pioneer’ already published that Rahul Gandhi gave his nod to launch Party’s campaign from Saharanpur by taking up issues faced by the farmers.
``Rahul would hold a six-kilometer long padyatra in Sarsawa block on Saharanpur on coming Monday to know the plights of the farmers particularly of the sugarcane growers. Gandhi during the padyatra would hold village chaupals at 4 places and a big panchayat at the end during his programme”, disclosed Mistri while addressing media persons here on Friday evening. “After the success of the Saharanpur padyatra, Gandhi will hold such programmes in other places of the state,” he added.