Lallu takes guard, asks partymen to fight for people
LUCKNOW: The Congress on Friday resolved to work unitedly under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s leadership, ‘fight for people’ and vote out the BJP government to accomplish Mission UP 2022 by bringing the party back to power in Uttar Pradesh.
The occasion was arrival of the new team led by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu at the UPCC headquarters here.
Many of those present declared that Vadra will lead the party in 2022 assembly elections. Some even said she will be state’s chief minister in 2022 polls.
Besides giving a call to partymen to fight the BJP, the leaders said the party needed to fight and finish the SP and the BSP that had occupied the Congress’s space in Uttar Pradesh.
Lallu used the occasion to project himself as a fighter narrating the story of his journey from family of a poor farmer to students union elections and then reaching the top post of the state Congress. “There was a time when I was a booth level worker. In all 32 cases have been registered against me and I have been to jail 18 times. I am ready to go to jail 1800 times to fight for honour of partymen and cause of people. Cases registered against you are reward in politics if you fight for the people,” said Lallu.
“When I was studying, the lenders used to come to my house and abuse my father. I used to wear torn trousers. I have sold salt, fertilizer and cinema tickets. Police lathis have broken all the bones in my body and I stand on legs that have rods fitted,” he said.
“We will become voice of the people. We have challenges of raising issues concerning law and order situation, farmers, potato and sugarcane growers and problems of people drought affected districts and Bundelkhand region….. There is no power, no such government that cannot be voted out,” said Lallu, who was all praises for Rahul Gandhi.
He said the BJP had targeted the Gandhi scion for raising issues like land acquisition act and fighting for farmers annoying lobby of leading industrialists. As many senior leaders, including some former union ministers, were conspicuous by their absence, the party leaders made it a point to explain that outgoing UPCC president Raj Babbar was abroad and he had spoken to Lallu on phone to convey good wishes.
Babbar’s letter to Lallu was also circulated to media persons to ensure that there were no misgivings.
Senior leaders Nirmal Khatri, PL Punia and Pramod Tiwari too spoke about how the party’s decision of aligning with the SP and BSP had damaged the party over the years.
The Congress has not gained power in state since 1989 and has aligned both with the BSP and the SP in the past. AICC secretary Zubair Khan went to the extent of saying that under Priyanka’s leadership the party had a strong feedback mechanism and she would know about leaders who work for Congress in day and visit the SP and BSP leaders at night.