The Congress launched its campaign for Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll even before the results of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry Assembly elections are announced. The Sonia Gandhi-led party is building up the campaign against the Mayawati government on the issues of law and order situation, violence against farmers and corruption in the state.
Uttar Pradesh poll is going to be a “do-or-die” battle for the Congress as AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi will lead the battle from the front.
Mr Gandhi’s sitting on a dharna at Bhatta Parsol village in Greater Noida and his arrest the other day, has enthused rank and file in the UP Congress which has been out of power for over two decades and placed to a third or fourth position.
“He has associated with right issues...If Mamata Banerjee can shake the mighty red rule in West Bengal on the land issue why can’t Rahul,” is the reaction of ordinary people.
And his arrest by the Mayawati government also evoked reaction outside UP and even in the non-Congress parties. While the party workers in the Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Puducherry came to the streets to protest against the UP government for the arrest, they held protests in Hyderabad, staged demonstrations in Mumbai and burnt an effigy of UP chief minister Mayawati in Puducherry.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the arrest. He said, “It (the arrest) is absolutely wrong. Gandhi was supporting farmers for the sake of justice and the Uttar Pradesh government must understand it.”
Mr Gandhi also received support from BJP MP and his cousin Varun Gandhi. He said in Agra, “No politics should be seen into Rahul’s dharna at Parsaul village. This is a fight of farmers and all politicians — barring BSP — cutting across party lines, including BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Kalraj Mishra have extended their support to the farmers’ cause.”
In Delhi, Union ministers — Mr P. Chidambaram, Ms Ambika Soni and Mr Salman Khursheed — drew attention to the deteriorating law order in UP. Mr Chidambaram said law and order in Uttar Pradesh is not a “happy situation” as farmers were protesting in many villages on the land acquisition issue and criticised the way Ms Mayawati was handling the protests.