‘Like His Energy’: Priyanka Gandhi After Meeting Bhim Army Chief

Chandra Shekhar Aazad is undergoing treatment at a hospital a day after the police and Bhim Army fell out.

Priyanka Gandhi meets Chandra Shekhar Aazad at a hospital in Meerut. 

(Photo: ANI)

Congress General Secretary for UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi met Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad on Wednesday, 13 March, in Meerut, a day after the latter was taken to a hospital by the police following an hour-long standoff.

Gandhi, the Congress general secretary for UP East, was accompanied by Jyotiraditya Scindia, the general secretary for UP West, and party leader Raj Babbar, when she went to meet the Bhim Army chief who is undergoing treatment at Anand Hospital.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Priyanka Gandhi said:

“He is a young man who is struggling and raising his voice, but this government is trying to suppress his voice. I am here because I like his energy and the way he raises (his) voice for the youth.”

Priyanka Gandhi, as quoted by ANI

She reportedly added that it was a gesture of showing solidarity, denying any politics at play in the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Bhim Army chief told NDTV after the meeting that he would go to Varanasi to contest the election against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We don’t want the support of any political party. I will go to Varanasi to fight elections against PM Modi. I don’t care who supports me... Mayawati and Akhilesh should support us.”

Chandra Shekhar Azad to NDTV

What Happened on Tuesday?

Bhim Army supporters were on their way to Muzaffarnagar in UP on Tuesday, after having started off from Saharanpur on Monday and staying overnight at Kansingpura, when the standoff with the police began. The police had insisted that the procession was violating the model code of conduct, while the Bhim Army members repeatedly said that they had the necessary permission.

Right before being taken to the hospital, Aazad had said that it was an attack on Dalits by the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government.

“The fight we are fighting for Dalits is being suppressed, but we will not allow it. This is being done under the instructions of the Yogi Adityanath government,” Aazad said. Right after this, his blood pressure shot up and he was taken to Anand Hospital in Meerut.