Rahul continues march in UP, BSP calls it pre-election stunt

As All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today entered the Aligarh district for his Kisan Mahapanchayat on Saturday, lambasting UP Chief Minister Mayawati over “forcibly” acquiring land from farmers, the state government talked of his arrest if his actions caused a breach of peace.

After an overnight stay at a villager’s house in Rampur Bangar in the Gautam Budh Nagar district, where he also had dinner, Rahul continued his footmarch on the second day, taking on the BSP government on the issue of land acquisition at cheap prices.

He has entered Aligarh where he plans to hold a Kisan Mahapanchayat, but the district administration says it will be a “clear violation” of the prohibitory orders in force.

State Home Secretary Deepak Kumar said in Lucknow any decision to arrest Rahul would be taken by the district administration on the basis of the conditions in Aligarh, as prohibitory orders were in force there.

“If the local administration finds there are chances of breach of peace, they can take a decision in this regard according to their wisdom,” he said.

In May, Rahul was arrested at Bhatta-Parsaul after he joined farmers’ agitation against land acquisition by the Mayawati government. He was later released and sent to Delhi. Rahul had made a second visit to the area yesterday.

He regretted that farmers whose land was being acquired came to know of the acqusition only at the end of the process and said the state government must understand its responsibilities.

During an interactions with villagers, he said the magnitude in which land was being acquired in UP was not happening anywhere else.

Extolling the farmers and people to share their stories with him, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family said he had come to hear them.

While resuming his march yesterday, Rahul said: “It’s okay if the land is being acquired for road. Roads should be constructed and development must take place, but land is being taken for colony here.”

The ruling BSP on its part attacked Rahul terming his padyatra a “stunt and a political drama” in view of the coming Assembly elections.