Rahul Gandhi denied permission for padyatra in Lucknow

The Lucknow district administration has denied permission to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to carry out a padyatra from Ramabai Ambedkar grounds to Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum to UP governor Ram Naik. The district administration denied permission for security reasons.

Mr Gandhi was scheduled to undertake a 12-km-long padyatra from Rama Bai Ambedkar ground, where he is scheduled to hold a one-on-one interaction with booth-level workers on Friday, to the Raj Bhavan.

UPCC communications department chairman Satyadev Tripathi said that the administration has informed the party that since Mr Gandhi is a SPG protectee , he cannot be allowed to undertake the padyatra that was scheduled to pass through busy thoroughfares of the state capital.

Party sources said that Mr Gandhi would hold an interaction with party workers at the Ramabai Ambedkar ground and return to Delhi after the programme while senior state leaders would later meet the governor and hand over the memorandum. The interaction with party workers, named “UP Udgosh”, is designed to get feedback from booth-level party workers and office bearers as a preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections.

“The Congress has always started working from the top but this time, we are working from the grassroots level. This programme aims at mobilising party cadres and allowing them an interface with the party leadership,” said a senior UPCC leader.

For the Friday programme, workers and office bearers will have to get themselves registered at the venue. This is to ensure that non-party workers do not get entry for the programme.