He pays trips to a Hanuman temple, a martyr memorial, the family of a deceased Army officer, and an AIIMS that Sonia Gandhi opened, all of which touch on subjects that Congress has been bringing up.
Rahul Gandhi, the newly crowned Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, highlighted all the issues the Congress has been bringing up during his first visit to his constituency, Raebareli, following his election victory, without criticizing the Yogi Adityanath administration or the Center.
During his day-long journey, he made targeted and precise stops at a Hanuman temple, the Shaheed Smarak, the late Captain Anshuman Singh’s house, and the nearby AIIMS, the foundation stone of which was placed by his mother and former Raebareli MP Sonia Gandhi.
Gandhi’s first destination was the Hanuman temple in the Chevra neighborhood of Raebareli. His visit came just after the BJP staged protests outside and within Parliament over his remarks addressing the party and Hindus. Raebareli had seen posters up before his arrival, imploring him to “clarify which religion he belonged to.” Gandhi therefore offered prayers at the temple while the Hanuman Chalisa was being performed in the first images of his visit.
Gandhi also visited the family of Captain Singh, who was stationed in Siachen when he was killed in a fire incident in July of last year. Singh’s wife and mother received the Kirti Chakra a few days ago, and her heartfelt speech went viral. Gandhi remained silent over the encounter, but Singh’s mother acknowledged in a media interview that the Congressman had discussed the Agnipath project and thanked him for “giving the family respect.”
Gandhi’s criticism of the BJP administration over the new recruiting policy, which is said to have cost the party some votes in the most recent polls, is well-timed given her call for the government to abolish the “two systems for Army personnel.” Gandhi has raised several concerns following the results, one of which is the financial recompense for individuals hired through the program, initially for a four-year term, in the event that they pass away while performing their duties.
Gandhi’s criticism of the BJP administration over the new recruiting policy, which is said to have cost the party some votes in the most recent polls, is well-timed given her call for the government to abolish the “two systems for Army personnel.” Gandhi has raised several concerns following the results, one of which is the financial recompense for individuals hired through the program, initially for a four-year term, in the event that they pass away while performing their duties.
Gandhi made another stop at the Shaheed Smarak. Invoking a “100-year-long connect” with the voters, he and his sister, Congress politician Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, spoke throughout the campaign about Jawaharlal Nehru’s support of the farmers whose “martyrdom” the memorial commemorates. Thirteen of them had been slain at Munshi Ganj in 1921 when protestors during the non-cooperation movement were broken up by gunfire from the government.
Another thorny issue for the family has been AIIMS in Raebareli, which Gandhi also visited. He has charged that the Narendra Modi administration is trying to block the project and has “bias” against it. Gandhi visited wards on Tuesday, spoke with patients, and obtained information from hospital management regarding the project’s status. After that, he spoke briefly with students from the hospital’s affiliated institute, who informed him about a number of difficulties, including the state of the road in front of the institute.
Gandhi said nothing as he quietly assessed the work, despite accusations from certain party leaders that amenities at the AIIMS had been reduced.
Subsequently, Gandhi supposedly met with representatives of the local Railways, who were working in building roads and bridges, though the party withheld specifics.
Gandhi reportedly talked about a number of projects, including the Banda-Bahraich highway, which runs through his constituency, and the long-pending outer ring road, which was supposed to be finished in 2016. The sources stated that he also questioned officers for information about the reasons for the projects’ delays.
