Rahul Gandhi says OBCs, Dalits, tribals not on NDA govt's agenda, bats for students' union polls in UP

Lucknow: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday once again targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what he said was working in the interest of a few industrialists and ignoring the OBCs, dalits and tribals.

Addressing the people during his ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra' in Prayagraj town in Uttar Pradesh, Rahul also referred to the allegations of question paper leakage of competitive examinations in UP and said that it amounted to cheating the youth.

The Congress leader also accused Modi of not bothering to resolve the issues being faced by the farmers in the country and instead favouring the industrialists.

''They (BJP govt) will not give you (students) education loans but the industrialists get loans worth crores in no time....this is why we have added the Nyaya word in our Yatra,'' Rahul told the gathering at the Luxmi Talkies Crossing in the town.

''Seventy three percent of the population comprise the OBCs, dalits and tribals but they are not on the agenda of the government....none of the owners of top 200 companies in the country belong to these categories,'' he said.

''This 73 percent population is nowhere to be seen....they (BJP) don't want you (OBC, dalits, tribals) to control the country,'' the former Congress president said.

A large number of students, who carried placards displaying ''stop playing with the future of the youths'' and ''stop paper leaks'', were present at the meeting addressed by Rahul. He also batted for the elections for the students unions at universities.

The Congress leader, who held a roadshow in the town atop a red jeep, was showered with flower petals by the people from rooftops during the roadshow.

Rahul, who arrived in the town from Wayanad, began his roadshow from the Swaraj Bhavan, the ancestral home of the Gandhis. He was accompanied by UP Congress president Ajay Rai and other local leaders. The Congress leader was accorded a rousing reception by the party workers upon his arrival at the airport.

On Saturday, Rahul had paid obeisance at the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of PM Narendra Modi, and held a roadshow in the town.

Rahul has decided to cut short the 'Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra' in its UP leg by five days in view of what the party leaders here said the forthcoming UP ''Board examinations'', which would be starting from February 22.

Congress leaders here said that Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav could be seen with Rahul when the latter's Yara entered Raebareli, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi or Amethi, which was represented by Rahul in the Lok Sabha till 2019. Rahul had lost to union minister Smriti Irani in the 2019 LS polls.