Rahul Gandhi 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' to enter Amethi on Feb 19
Amethi (UP) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will reach the Amethi parliamentary constituency which he represented earlier on February 19, a party leader on Thursday said.
Congress district general secretary Anil Singh said the yatra will start in the district from Atheha in Rampur assembly constituency of Pratapgarh district on February 19 and enter Kakwa.
After that the yatra will leave for Rae Bareli via Maharajpur, Amethi, Gauriganj, Gandhinagar, Jais and Fursatganj, he added.
The Congress leader said Gandhi will during this address a big public meeting near Babuganj Sagra Ashram in Amethi's Gauriganj, he said.
Apart from this, Gandhi will also address the public at various places during the journey. He will stay the night in Fursatganj.
The yatra, which began from Mainpur on January 14, will enter Uttar Pradesh on February 16 and it will cover 20 districts in 11 days.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, whose party is an ally of the INDIA bloc, will be participating in the yatra in Rae Bareli.
"I will attend the yatra in Rae Bareli. It is near to Lucknow (about 80 kms)," Yadav had said on Wednesday.
The Congress is preparing a comprehensive plan to successfully complete the yatra.
Singh said there is a lot of enthusiasm among the party leaders and people regarding the yatra.
"There is a plan to gather a large crowd to make the yatra successful. The Congress leaders, workers and the general public of Amethi are hopeful that during this visit, Gandhi might give some indication of contesting the next Lok Sabha elections from Amethi," he said.
Congress state president Ajay Rai has earlier claimed that Rahul would contest the elections from Amethi only, but till now no statement or indication has come from the Gandhi family in this regard.
Rahul Gandhi was the MP from Amethi from 2002 to 2019. He lost to BJP's Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections.
He last visited Amethi with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on February 15, 2022.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
