Jaipur, June 17 (IANS). Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi reached Kota by chartered plane at around 3:30 pm on Wednesday. He had come to participate in a student dialogue program.
Senior Congress leaders including state president Govind Singh Dotasara, leader of opposition in the assembly Tikaram Juli, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and national general secretary Sachin Pilot welcomed him at the airport.
Earlier, Gehlot and Pilot were seen together in the airport lounge. This was their first public meeting after the recent political exchange between the two leaders.
Due to the huge crowd, Rahul Gandhi’s convoy faced difficulty in leaving the airport premises. From the airport he went to a private hotel on Station Road, where he interacted briefly with selected students.
Later, he is expected to participate in a student interaction program titled ‘Echoes of Students’ at the Dussehra Ground. Party workers will not be allowed to attend, as the event is exclusively reserved for students.
Before his arrival, a concert was going on at the Dussehra ground. Congress leader Pawan Kheda, who reached the venue, said that this program is not just a dialogue, but the voice of the youth.
He alleged that the government was playing with the future of the students and made it clear that such acts would not be tolerated. Entry into the venue was restricted to students and youth participants with verified wristbands and passes only.
Before reaching Kota, Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter that I have left for Kota, but two names are resonating in my heart, Umesh and Riya. Yesterday, Umesh in Sikar and Riya in Dehradun, both committed suicide under the pressure of Re-NEET issue. Young people aged 22 and 23, who were about to take off to fulfill their dreams, lost their fight against an unjust system. These deaths are the result of a broken and corrupt system. Modi government and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are responsible for this. Instead of protecting students, they repeatedly indulged in paper leaks, exam mismanagement and patronizing would-be scammers. Today, from Kota, we will begin the fight with a single objective…”
–IANS
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