UP bus yatra got encouraging response: Cong

Congress today claimed that its first poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh in the form of a three- day bus yatra received an encouraging response as it helped spread the message that people should not be divided on basis of caste or religion.
"We have successfully put across the message to the people of Uttar Pradesh to unite them and not divide them on caste and religion, as parties like Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and BJP have done during their rule in the state in the last 27 years," senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
He said during the 1980s when Congress ruled the state, votes were not sought on communal lines, as done now.

According to him, the bus yatra "27 saal UP behaal", undertaken by him along with PCC chief Raj Babbar and chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit, highlighted the failures of the successive governments in the state and sought to reach out to the masses.
"We are very pleased looking at the enthusiasm of people in the state. Our experience of three days is many times more than our expectations," he said, adding that people came out on the roads even during rains to meet and hear us out.
Azad said Congress wanted to highlight the issue of development among the people and said "we told them that we have come to join hearts and not break them, as done by other parties in last 27 years".

"We will form a government by winning the hearts of people in Uttar Pradesh and will help unite communities who stand divided today," he said.

PCC chief Raj Babbar said people, especially the youth and the old, want the revival of Congress and the aim of the yatra is to "communicate and connect" which they have achieved during the past three days.
Azad earlier said against 10 programmes planned on the first day, 36 meetings were organised, while the second day saw 52 public meetings along the way against 6 planned and 84 meetings were held yesterday against 4 planned, that continued till midnight.

He also said that against the general complaint that public has to find the top leaders, the PCC chief and other state leaders are now reaching out themselves to every one in the state.