PATNA: Congress-sponsored “palayan roko, naukri do” yatra turned chaotic in Araria on Sunday when the private security guards of AICC in charge of the NSUI, Kanhaiya Kumar, pushed party workers joining the march, causing some of them to fall. Kanhaiya, who was leading the yatra, left it midway.
The yatra had begun from Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran on March 16 and, after covering several districts, it reached Araria on the 15th day.
Sources said everything appeared smooth when the yatra began from Araria College in the morning. However, as it covered about 1 km, there was a scramble among the local party workers to get near Kanhaiya and take selfies with him, which his security guards strongly objected to. Ignoring these objections, the workers tried to get closer to him, prompting the security guards to push them aside to let the yatra continue, they said.
Witnesses said the development annoyed the local workers, who protested against the action of the security guards. A video of the incident, which has gone viral, shows some workers falling to the ground after being pushed by a person. As the situation became chaotic, Kanhaiya left the yatra midway.
Local district party president, Zakir Anwar, told the reporters that Kanhaiya left the yatra after receiving a call from party MP Rahul Gandhi.
“The incident was avoidable. When you are leading a yatra, your role is to take everyone along, but he (Kanhaiya) appeared surrounded by outsiders, which was objected to by local workers,” a senior party functionary, Masoom Raza, told the TOI over the phone on Sunday, adding that some people were trying to get near Kanhaiya and garland him.
“The incident appears to be the handiwork of rivals. They want to disturb our yatra, which is drawing huge support from the masses,” state Congress spokesperson Rajesh Ratthore said.
This is the second time Kanhaiya’s yatra has plunged into controversy.
Earlier this week, the local villagers washed a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga at Bangaon village in Saharsa district shortly after Kanhaiya had addressed the people from the temple premises. The villagers alleged that the temple premises had got defiled after the visit by a “traitor” and they were required to purify it.
