Rahul’s UP yatra to stop for two days due to Eid

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will take a two-day halt on September 12 and 13 during his month-long mahayatra in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in view of Id and would recommence his march from September 14.

Mr Gandhi is undertaking a “kisan mahayatra” to highlight the plight of farmers in Uttar Pradesh. On the fourth day of the yatra that was kicked off from Deoria in eastern UP on September 6, the Congress vice-president reached Faizabad on Friday.

“My yatra from Deoria to Delhi today in Faizabad and Ambedkar Nagar. In view of Eid, we will halt on September 12 and 13. It will commence from September 14 thereafter,” he tweeted.

He took out a road show in Faizabad and also got a warm welcome from children of Faizabad Public School at Gandhi Park Friday morning before the beginning of the road show. He also garlanded the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Acharya Narendra Dev in Faizabad.

He put his pictures of the road show and other events, but not of his visit to Ayodhya, on social networking site Twitter.

Meanwhile, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and a section of saints of Ayodhya on Friday termed Rahul Gandhi’s Hanuman Garhi darshan “politically motivated,” insisting it would not yield any result without “darshan” of Ramlala.

“The Darshan of Hanumanji is incomplete without paying obeisance to Lord Ram. Has Rahul not paid obeisance to Ramlala to appease the Muslims,” a VHP spokesperson said.