Enthused by the success of ‘Nadi Adhikar Yatra’ to reach out to the backward community of Nishads in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi is planning to take out ‘Bunkar Adhikar Yatra’ to highlight issues faced by weavers in the state.

‘Nadi Adhikar Yatra’ was flagged off from Prayagraj and completed 500 kms along the banks of the Ganga before culminating at Ballia after covering more than 200 villages. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi not only sent Rs 10 lakhs as aid for the repair of boats damaged by the police, she also addressed members of Nishad community through video calls and assured all help to the community to get its rights on the produce from the rivers.

Now preparations are being made to start ‘Bunkar Adhikar Yatra’ to reach out to lakhs of weavers suffering due to government apathy. Weavers’ leaders from Varanasi and adjoining districts have been asked to draw a road map for the yatra which would cover the affected areas. Former Congress MLA from Varanasi and UPCC president Ajay Rai is in touch with them to give final touches for the yatra.

The ‘Bunkar Adhikar Yatra’ will raise issues like financial assistance and lack of power to weavers belonging to over a dozen districts from Barabanki to Azamgarh, which includes a vast Muslim population in eastern UP and people from backward communities and Dalits in western UP.

As per the plan, ‘Bunkar Adhikar Yatra’ will culminate in a big meeting at Varanasi to be addressed by Priyanka Gandhi at April-end. It was felt that the decision of Priyanka Gandhi to undertake such a yatra would not only raise the issues of these communities but also help to revive the party organisation by connecting to people at the grassroots. 

Priyanka Gandhi has also directed the party’s UP unit to take panchayat polls very seriously and zonal meetings are taking place accordingly. On March 24, an important meeting of Eastern Zone took place at Varanasi and it was resolved that all resources would be mobilised to win maximum panchayats out of a total of 500 in 10 districts. Representatives from Prayagraj, Badhoi, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Mau and Ballia attended the meeting.

Significantly, AICC national secretary Bajirao Khade addressed the meeting which was presided over by president of Eastern Zone Laliteshwar Tripathi who is the grandson of legendary Congress leader Kamlapati Tripathi.