Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Ayodhya on Friday, has become the first member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to visit Ayodhya since the demolition of the disputed Babri Masjid in 1992.
Rahul offered prayers at Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya before embarking on the fourth day of his Mahayatra in Uttar Pradesh.
The yatra, which started from Deoria, will end at Delhi. Rahul will cover a distance of 2,500 kilometres on road through Uttar Pradesh and is expected to visit 233 assembly constituencies ahead of polls next year.
Rahul will take a two-day halt on 12 and 13 September during his mahayatra in view of Eid and would recommence his march from 14 September.
Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said if his party forms government in Uttar Pradesh, it will have representation from all sections of society in the state.
Rahul Gandhi in a “khaat sabha” on the third day of his ‘Deoria to Dilli” yatra said:
Though Sheila Dikshit is the chief ministerial candidate of the party in the state, I can assure you that when Congress party distributes tickets for the Assembly polls, people from all religion and castes will find a place. We will not form the government of any one caste but that of all the castes... it will be a government which is that of farmers, labourers and all those who have problems in life, don’t forget this fact.
Although Congress General Secretary and state in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad did not give a specific timeframe for the Mahayatra’s conclusion, he said it would take almost a month, with one or two short breaks in between. The party has made preparations for making the Congress leader’s longest yatra in the state a success.
“It would not be a continuous yatra, there would be short breaks in between. In all, there should be 20-25 working days,” he said.
There would be roadshows in small and big towns along the way but no large public meeting, Azad said.
VHP, Ayodhya Saints Term Rahul’s visit ‘Politically Motivated’
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and a section of saints of Ayodhya termed Rahul Gandhi’s Hanuman Garhi darshan “politically motivated”, insisting it would not yield any result without darshan of Ramlala.
The darshan of Hanumanji is incomplete without paying obeisance to Lord Ram. Has Rahul not paid obeisance to Ramlala to appease the Muslims? His family members had also done incomplete darshan – and the results are visible.Sharad Sharma, spokesman, VHP
Member of Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, Mahant Suresh Das of Digambar Akhara, said Rahul having darshan of Hanuman Garhi was “politically motivated”.
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