UP polls: Senior leaders will take call on tie-up with SP, says Raj Babbar

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While AICC General Secretary in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad and Congress chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit could not reach Lucknow for the event, the raths prepared for the campaign were flagged off by K Raju, AICC head of the SC department, Babbar and Rajya Sabha MP PL Punia.

Calling it a “mission”, Raju said, “It is a mission to strengthen Congress and the voice of Dalits within the
party. As part of this 50-day mission, 300 people would board 100 vehicles and one team would camp in one village each day, which would be then followed by a rallies in divisions.”

Punia cited the eight promises, which party would make in each of about 3,000 Dalit-dominated villages in reserved constituencies. ‘These promises would also be a part of the party’s election manifesto,” he added.

These include free education from kindergarten to post graduation for even those who are studying outside state in private institutions, Rs 1,000 for postgraduate students for hostel, appointment of suraksha mitras at 1,388 police stations, launch of Ambedkar Arogya scheme for cashless treatment up to Rs 2 lakh, residential accommodation for field labourers, up to Rs 3 lakh loan without guarantee for Dalit youths and appointment of vikas mitras in each of 821 blocks among others.

The leaders also gave a call to all district units and party workers to mark the death anniversary of Amedkar on December 6 in their respective districts in a grand manner.