Congress sets stage for Rahul Gandhi’s kisan yatra: 250 ‘mini-raths’, 3,500 khaats, 2,500 km

“Its a massive mobilisation. The target is to reach out to 4 lakh workers, who would further reach out to at least 100 households each. But, considering the fact that we already have verified 1.5 lakh workers and if they are able to reach out to at least 10 households, even then our message would be conveyed. Rest all is bonus,” said a party leader associated with the drive.

WATCH VIDEO: Assembly Elections 2017: Rahul Gandhi Begins 2500 Km Mahayatra From Deoria

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Sources in the party said that the workers’ handbook, called the ‘karyakarta margdarshika’, contains around 100 yellow-coloured stickers to be put on workers’ mobile phones and outside their houses. These stickers come in workers’ bags, which bear the slogan to be used during Rahul’s yatra — “Karza maaf, bijili half, samarthan mulya ka karo hisab”. The slogan basically sums up Rahul’s promised to the farmers in UP— loan waiver, reduction of electricity bills by half and better minimum support price for crops. The stickers come with a party symbol and a photograph of Rahul, and carry the slogans “Hum hain Congress”and “27 saal, UP behaal”.

The kit also contains a ‘margadarshika’, which informs party workers on how to get ‘kisaan maangpatras’ filled out and what needs to be told to voters when they go out to campaign. It also asks workers to inform the public that the previous UPA government had waived farmer loans worth Rs 73,000 crore in 2008, reduced the price of electricity in rural areas to a greater extent and also increased the support price of crops by at least two times.

The booklet also asks party workers to target the state government and the Centre for its “indifferent attitude” towards problems of farmers. The party workers have also been asked to raise the slogan, “Kisan trast, Sarkar mast, Congress kisano ka sacchi sathi”.

The party’s longest yatra would comprise khaat panchayats, for which around 3,500 “khaats” have been speacially woven. Two sets of these khaats have been made as Rahul is expected to address at least two khaat panchayats in two districts every day.

On the first day of the ‘Deoria to Dilli yatra’, Rahul will hold a ‘khaat panchayat’ at Doodhnath Mandir Maidan, Rudrapur in Deoria at about 12 noon, followed by a roadshow and an interaction with farmers about 5 pm at Kanchanpur village. Another ‘khaat panchayat’ will be organised in adjoining Kushinagar district later in the evening, after which Rahul will stay at Gorakhpur for the night.

On Wednesday morning, Rahul is scheduled to visit the Encephalitis ward at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, following which there will bea 5-km roadshow in the city. He will have lunch at Sahajani village in the district and later at around 6 pm, Rahul will address a ‘khaat sabha’ in Khalilabad area of Sant Kabir Nagar district. He will halt for the night in Basti district.