NEW DELHI: Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited Gujarat on a one-day trip today, on July 6. He met INC leaders in police custody at Vasna Police Station, Ahmedabad, and also addressed Congress workers at the PCC office, Congress Bhawan, Ahmedabad.
Gandhi met days after a clash between Congress and BJP supporters happened outside Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, the opposition party’s headquarters, during a BJP demonstration protesting Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the Lok Sabha concerning Hindus. Following the clash four congress workers were arrested as well.
Addressing the issue with party workers in Ahmedabad, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi declared, “They have attacked your office and your workers. They are challenging us. Don’t be afraid. Together we will defeat them in Gujarat. Just like we defeated them in Ayodhya, we will defeat Narendra Modi and the BJP in Gujarat.” Gandhi’s statement highlights the Congress party’s determination to challenge the ruling BJP in the upcoming elections.
Gandhi also claimed that “PM Modi wanted to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Ayodhya, but his surveyors said he would be defeated, and his political career would end,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said. Later, Gandhi also met with the families of INC leaders in police custody.
During the same visit, he met with family members of those who lost their lives in recent tragedies and promised to raise their grievances in Parliament.
In the Morbi bridge collapse, as many as 135 persons died after a British-era suspension bridge over the Machchhu River in Morbi town collapsed on October 30, 2022. The bridge was maintained by Oreva Group. The company’s CMD Jaysukh Patel was granted bail in March this year. According to the media sources, Narendra Parmar, who lost his ten-year-old daughter in the Morbi bridge collapse, said they have lost faith in the “corrupt system” in BJP-ruled Gujarat.
Sandhya Nizama, who lost her nine-year-old son in a boat capsize incident in Vadodara, alleged justice was not done because the many culprits were let off by the police. “Though police arrested some persons, many key people who were responsible for this tragedy are still roaming free. No action was taken against the school management who took our children on this trip. Officials are also misleading the court. Gandhi has promised that he will raise our issue in the Lok Sabha,” said Nizama to media sources.
Twelve school students and two teachers were killed when a boat capsized in Motnath Lake in the Harni area of Vadodara city on January 18.
“Rahul Gandhi interacted with the family members of victims, understood their issues, and promised that he will raise them in Parliament so that justice is done,” said Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani who coordinated the interaction.