 "Rahul Gandhi,Rahul,Akhilesh Yadav,Akhilesh")
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav had to cut short a joint election meeting in Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday, due to an “uncontrollable” crowd.
Congress leader Rewati Raman Singh later explained that the situation spiralled out of control as the crowd grew too large and the police presence was insufficient.
“The crowd had become too large, and there weren’t enough police officers, which caused the crowd to become uncontrollable and rush the stage. As a result, Akhilesh and Rahul had to leave without giving their speeches,” Singh stated, attributing the lack of adequate security to police being engaged in election duties elsewhere.
Supporters broke through barricades in an attempt to reach the stage at the INDIA bloc rally in Padila Mahadev, creating a “stampede-like” situation.
It prompted the security officers to advise the two leaders to leave the spot.
Singh emphasised that the sheer size of the crowd was the primary cause of the chaos, rather than any failure in coordination between Congress and Samajwadi Party workers.
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Meanwhile, taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ambitious target of 400 seats, Singh said, “These rallies show what the people want. These people intend to change the Constitution, and they have already said so, which is why they are shouting ‘400 Paar’. The people themselves are fighting this election to save the Constitution and to protect reservations.”
Singh also confirmed that the alliance between Congress and the Samajwadi Party is a deliberate strategy for the elections.
His son, Ujjwal Raman Singh, is the Congress candidate from Prayagraj, where he will face BJP’s Neeraj Tripathi, son of former Governor of West Bengal and Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Keshari Nath Tripathi.
Polling in the constituency is scheduled for the sixth phase of the ongoing elections on May 25.
(With inputs from agencies)
(With inputs from agencies)
