My purpose of meeting the families of the victims has been fulfilled. But I will return very soon, said Priyanka Gandhi ending her 24-hour dharna on Saturday
Caravan News
MIRZAPUR, UP — “I am now leaving because my purpose of meeting the families of the victims has been fulfilled. But I will return very soon. I had come here on the instructions of my brother Rahul Gandhi.”
This is what Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi told people and party workers before ending her 24-hour dharna on Saturday and returning to Delhi, reports IANS.
Mirzapur District Magistrate (DM) Anurag Patel took a u-turn on Saturday and said that the Congress leader was free to go since she had neither been detained, nor arrested.
While the DM on Friday night had reportedly asked her to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 so that she could be allowed to go.
The Uttar Pradesh Government should provide compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to next of kin of those killed in Sonbhadra
“Those officials who tried to stop me from meeting the families (of Sonbhadra firing victims) are now saying that I was not arrested and that I am free to go. I want to tell them that I have met the families, and for now I am going but I will be back” said Priyanka Gandhi while addressing the media after meeting the kin of victims.
She also demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the next of kin those killed in a clash over land in Umbha village in UP’s Sonbhadra and announced that the Congress with pay these families Rs 10 lakh each.
“The Uttar Pradesh Government should provide compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to next of kin of those killed in Sonbhadra,” she told reporters after meeting families of the victims in Chunar fort where she has been detained. “Congress will pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to next of kin of Sonbharda firing victims.”
Earlier on Saturday, Priyanka met the family members of the victims who had come to the guest house in Chunar to meet her after she was prevented from going to meet them in Sonebhadra where 10 people were killed in clashes over a land dispute on Wednesday.
She met the families and assured them of support and said that she would return soon to meet them.
Several senior Congress leaders who were on their way to Sonebhadra were detained by the police at Varanasi airport. A three-member delegation of the Trinamool Congress was also detained at the airport.
The Congress termed the entire episode as a ‘major victory for the party’ and slammed the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh for resorting to fascism and preventing their leaders from visiting Sonbhadra.
(With inputs from IANS)
