Interacting with media persons at a lunch break during the yatra at Rampurhat city in Birbhum on Friday, Gandhi said, “I am returning from Bengal with a lot of things. The yatra received a great response from Bengal, especially from the women and youth. It touched my heart. I can only say that their love and affection will not be in vain. We plan to fight for them. We are doing this yatra to bring them ‘nyay’ (justice).”
“I would have done this yatra on foot but was forced to hold a roadshow due to the lack of time,” he added.
Referring to his interaction with bidi workers whom he met on Thursday night, the Wayanad MP said, “They are experts in their work. Many underage girls are also doing this (bidi making). They are underpaid and many of them suffer from health problems due to the work. We have to raise their demands and they should be given insurance and other facilities.”
On a lighter note, he also said that he loved ‘mishti doi’, a sweet Bengal is famous for. “I love misti doi of Bengal. Lekin dada (Adhir Chowdhury) ne is baar humko nahi khilaya (but dada did not bring it for me this time).”
During the yatra, Gandhi greeted many children and gave them chocolates. In the Murarai area of Rampurhat, he asked a group of children to get into his Jeep and interacted with them.
Meanwhile, the yatra was delayed by two hours after the Murshidabad administration stopped it due to the Madhyamik Examinations which started from Friday 10 am. The yatra, which was scheduled to begin at 8 am from Murshidabad‘s Nabagram, started at 10.15 am. While the Congress alleged “non-cooperation” on the part of the administration, the Murshidabad police said it had intimated the party that a rally or march could not be taken out during certain hours due to the state board examinations.
Congress Bengal unit chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “The delay (in the resumption of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra) was because the local administration has been telling us since last (Thursday) night that the yatra should not take place due to the examinations scheduled here. We agree but as per the government’s own announcement, students should reach their exam centres by 8.30 am and the examinations are to be held from 10 am to 1 pm…We wanted to proceed to Jharkhand peacefully…”
“The administration also said that we cannot have more than three cars in the roadshow. How can we send Rahul Gandhi only with two cars? They can arrest us but please send Gandhi with due respect,” said the Behrampore MP. Additional Superintendent of Police (Murshidabad) Majid Khan said, “On Thursday, we intimated the Congress leadership that because of Madhyamik examinations they cannot take out a rally or march. According to the rules, they can not use a sound system as well, but they can go normally on the roads. We are ready with our security.” Congress’ All India General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “We are here not to break any law. The Murshidabad and Birbhum district administrations told us to delay the yatra because of the Madhyamik Examinations. We respected that.”
The ruling Trinamool Congress said that during the school board examinations, some restrictions are put in place in West Bengal and everyone has to abide by it.
“Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is holding her dharna programme abiding by the restrictions, without any loudspeakers and curbing any large congregation at it,” said TMC Rajya Sabha MP Shantanu Sen. Banerjee staged a dharna in Kolkata from Friday to protest against alleged withholding of the state’s dues by the Centre.
Ambulance in yatra convoy ‘grazes past’ cop’s car, 2 detained
Meanwhile, the driver and another occupant of an ambulance, which was a part of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s convoy, were detained in Birbhum, after the vehicle allegedly grazed past the car of a senior district police officer escorting the motorcade on Friday, an official said. The two were taken to Murarai police station and questioned for several hours in connection with the ambulance leaving its designated spot in the convoy for the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Rajgram area, and “grazing past” the officer’s vehicle, he said. The district police officer, who was in the car, was unharmed, the official said. Gandhi’s convoy went ahead, leaving behind the ambulance, following the development.
Sourav Roy, Congress’ social media coordinator in the state, claimed that the incident took place because of rash driving by the police vehicle’s driver.
– With PTI inputs