By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 17 Jul: Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi arrived in Dehradun this afternoon for the party’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme, but his schedule underwent several changes due to various reasons including the death of senior Congress worker Amar Mehta in an accident at the event venue yesterday as well as due to inclement weather later this afternoon.
Rahul Gandhi landed at Jolly Grant Airport at around 1.30 p.m., much earlier than his originally scheduled arrival at 5 p.m. He was received by Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee President Ganesh Godiyal, Congress in-charge for Uttarakhand Kumari Selja and senior party leaders including Pritam Singh, Harak Singh Rawat, Karan Mahara, Nizamuddin Qazi, Prakash Joshi, Yashpal Arya and Bhuvan Kapri, besides a large number of party workers. As Gandhi emerged from the airport terminal, Congress workers raised slogans in his support.
Godiyal welcomed Gandhi with a traditional Bhojpatra garland from Badrinath. Gandhi however chose to accept the garland in his hands instead of wearing it. Pritam Singh then presented him with a bouquet and exchanged greetings with him, followed by Nizamuddin Qazi, who also greeted him with a bouquet. Leader of the Opposition, Yashpal Arya, Karan Mahara and Harak Singh Rawat presented traditional Bhojpatra garlands, while Prakash Joshi, recently appointed Congress in-charge for West Bengal, presented Gandhi with a tricolour garland symbolising the Congress party. Deputy leader of the Congress Legislative Party in Uttarakhand, Bhuvan Kapri also greeted Gandhi during the reception at the airport.
From the airport, Gandhi proceeded directly to the residence of the late Amar Mehta to offer condolences to the bereaved family. Mehta, a 65-year-old senior Congress worker, died yesterday after an iron rod of a temporary structure erected for the programme at Bannu School Ground collapsed while he was supervising the arrangements. Gandhi met the family members, consoled them and also interacted with a young girl named Humera during the visit.
Paying tribute, Gandhi observed that Mehta had served the Congress organisation with unwavering dedication and commitment for many years and described his untimely demise as an irreparable loss to the Congress family. He said the entire Congress stood firmly with the bereaved family in this hour of grief and extended its deepest sympathies.
Later, Gandhi reached a private hotel on Mussoorie Road, where he is staying during his visit, and held a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Board with the party’s senior leaders. During the meeting, he is learnt to have asked the leaders to set aside internal differences and present a united front in view of the forthcoming Uttarakhand Assembly elections. He also reportedly directed party leaders to expose what he described as corruption in the BJP government in the state, highlight the failures of both the state and Union governments before the people, strengthen the party organisation at the grassroots and intensify efforts to consolidate the Congress cadre across Uttarakhand.
The schedule of Gandhi’s engagements kept changing during the course of the day. He was originally scheduled to address the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme at Bannu School Ground at 7 p.m., but following his early arrival in Dehradun, the programme was initially advanced to 5 p.m. However, persistent rain led to another revision in the schedule, and it was subsequently decided that Gandhi would reach the venue at around 7.30 p.m. after completing his organisational meetings with party leaders.
According to the party leaders, the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme has generated considerable enthusiasm among Congress leaders and workers. The party leaders claimed that more than 4 lakh students had registered for the event, which is aimed at facilitating an interaction between Rahul Gandhi and students on issues concerning education, employment and the future of the country’s youth.
