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Rahul Gandhi defies SPG orders, mingles with commoners in Telangana

Rahul’s hair and white dress turned brown with dust during the padayatra

Adilabad: Rahul Gandhi surprised one and all by mingling with the people defying SPG restrictions during his 15 km Kisan Sandesh Yatra in Adilabad district on Friday. Rahul's padayatra began 90 minutes late as it was actually scheduled to begin at 7.30 am. Rahul’s hair and white dress turned brown with dust during the padayatra with thousands walking along with him.

Rahul continued his padayatra though he was reportedly having a fever and took a break in the middle by travelling in a vehicle for some distance as per the advice of top AICC leaders and doctors. He gave away cheques for Rs 2 lakh on behalf of the TPCC to five families of farmers who had committed suicide due to debts and crop failure.

Rahul moved closely with the families of the farmers' while consoling them and made the children of suicide victims sit on his lap. Rahul Gandhi visited farms en route to Vadyal from Koratikal. It was evident from his body language that Rahul Gandhi was very particular about education for the children of the farmers who had committed suicide. He inquired about the studies of the children of all the families while consoling them and stressed on the importance of education.

Rahul Gandhi gave enough time to youths in addition to the members of Youth Congress and NSUI to take photographs with him. Hundreds of party activists, second rung leaders, MLAs, former ministers and others from all districts in Telangana who did not took part in the rallies in Hyderabad due to cancellation of the event thronged Koratikal to participate in the Rahul yatra.

Chunchu Ramavva of Koratikal, an elderly woman, regretted that she could not see Rahul Gandhi as he was in the vehicle and that it would have been better if he had travelled atop the vehicle like N. Chandrababu Naidu. After consoling a victim's family in Koratikal, Rahul got down from the vehicle defying SPG restrictions and reportedly told the SPG that he wants to walk along with the public.

TPCC leaders expressed happiness over the success of the event and said that this was first big event organised by the Congress in Telangana. With this success the Congress is planning to organise the June 2 event for which they are inviting Sonia Gandhi. Many top Congress leaders like Raj Babbar, Digvijay Singh, Renuka Chowdhary, former deputy CM Rajanarsimha, TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president Batti Vikramarka, Hanumanth Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar, G. Vivek, Madhu Yashi Goud, former Youth Congress state president Vamshi Chand Reddy and all former ministers and sitting MLAs and MLCs participated in the padayatra.

The Congress has started promoting the 'plough' and this was seen in the Rahul Gandhi Kisan Sandesh Yatra on Friday. Congress activists carried a plough made of wood in the padayatra. The Congress wanted to show that the party was with farmers and the downtrodden. Some of the activists tried to hand over the plough to Rahul Gandhi but the SPG did not allow them to approach the leader.

The Congress played songs in Telugu and Hindi during the yatra praising Rahul Padayatra, Sonia Gandhi and criticising the government's failure to come to the rescue of farmers. Slogans like 'Rahul Gandhi Sangharsh karo Hum Apke Saath Hai' and 'Rahul Gandhi Raka Rythu Bhaagya Rekha' (Rahul coming is good luck for farmers), rent the air. Placards carried slogans like 'Hope of the nation Rahul Gandhi.'

Translators like TPCC spokesperson Shravan Kumar told the elderly that Rahul is the grandson of Indira Gandhi and the son of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi as most elderly persons remembered only Indira Gandhi.

( Source : dc correspondent )
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