Rahul Gandhi’s Khat Sabha is all set to commence on Tuesday. For the uninitiated, it is the Congress’ new programme wherein the Gandhi scion will interact with farmers sitting on cots.
However, the Congress, now located at the heart of the Uttar Pradesh elections, did not reach the decision to hold Khat Sabhas overnight.
Most of the election strategy has been the brainchild of party strategist, Prashant Kishor.
From the selection of the UP chief, to the announcement of its chief ministerial candidate, to placing the reins of the UP elections in the hands of Congress’ Yuvraj Rahul, all these decisions have been reached after weeks of planning by Kishor and his team.
According to exclusive information received by Quint Hindi, the plans for the Kisan Mahayatra and the Khat Sabha were chalked out about 100 days ago by Team PK.
1. Farmers’ Weakness Primary Issue for Congress
The UP election circuit is dominated by parties basing their foundations on the vote bank of dalits, backward classes, Muslims and the Savarna classes. However, a few other key issues emerged when Gandhi and Team PK interacted with party workers, block heads and legislators during the Congress’ events in April.
- Close to 70 lakh farmers are weighed down by debt in UP.
- During 2014 elections, though Narendra Modi promised to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP), it never happened.
- The electricity rate charged from UP farmers is higher than the average Indian rates.
Hence, the Congress decided that the UP elections will be fought on the basis of farmers’ interests. This move seemed like a strong blow to the caste-based election strategies of other parties, since farmers are present in large numbers across castes.
2. Why Did it Start From Deoria?
According to a source, 40 percent of UP’s sugar mills used to be located in the Deoria region of the state. However, by the end of the nineties, as the Congress lost its dominance in UP, each of these mills was shut down one by one.
Although the government promised compensation in every harvest season, none was actually provided.
Consequently, Deoria has now become the most viable place to begin garnering support from the farmers.
3. The Yatra Will Be in Two Stages
Rahul Gandhi will complete the Mahayatra from Deoria to Delhi in two stages. The first stage will be from Deoria to Lucknow. Around 20 September, there will be a three-to-four-day break, following which the Yatra from Lucknow to Delhi will reach its conclusion in another nine days. The entire exercise will conclude in the first week of October.
4. But Why Khat Sabha?
According to the team behind the month-long Mahayatra, people are tired of the “leader on a pedestal, people on the ground” approach.
That will be changed by Gandhi (however, Gandhi recently interacted with workers in Lucknow from a ramp).
In UP villages, discussions and talks are held on cots. Thus, it only seems right that Gandhi’s interactions with farmers take place in a similar setting.
The Congress Vice-President will cover a distance of 2,500 kilometres while passing through several regions of the state – spending nights in big cities.
The following morning, there will be a roadshow in the city, while the Khat Sabha will take place in one of the villages during the day. The first night of the Yatra will be spent in Gorakhpur.
Every Khat Sabha will have 1,500 cots laid down for participants.
5. Do Right by Promises of Forgiven Debt, Halved Electricity Rates and MSP
After several endeavours, Team PK realised that the Gandhi scion cannot possibly reach every farmer in the state. And so, it came up with the idea of forming a team of party workers to ensure the message of the party reaches more people.
On his first day, Rahul will meet 10 people in Deoria’s Pakladhi village as part of the Door-to-Door Mission. The 10 participants will be given a ‘Do Right by Promises of Forgiven Debt, Halved Electricity Rates and MSP’ form, along with a kit. These 10 people will make a 100 farmers fill the same form over the following 10 days.
Gandhi will give this kit to 2.5 lakh people who would, in turn, make 2.5 crore people fill the form. Following this, these forms, that express the plight of farmers, will be forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Gandhi’s guidance.
The most pertinent question, however, is whether this 27-day-Yatra of the Congress leader will be able to end the party’s 27-year exile from UP politics.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)