Rahul Gandhi elicits views of activists, intellectuals

Mahabubnagar: Rahul Gandhi, who is conducting his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Telangana, met with intellectuals and social activists and learnt about various problems and challenges facing the people nationally and in their respective areas. He sought their suggestions and advice on how to rid the society of various ills.

The former Congress president began his 53rd day yatra from Lalitambika Temple near Gollapally village in Jadcherla mandal on Saturday, his fifth day of walkathon in Telangana. He walked for around 15 km and reached Balanagar where he took his lunch break.

A large number of Congress party activists mobilized by Jadcherla Congress in-charge and TPCC secretary Janampally Anirudh Reddy took part in the padayatra along with Rahul Gandhi. The National Highway 44 was completely blocked as thousands of Congress party workers and general public walked along with Gandhi up to Balanagar.

At Balanagar, Gandhi was closeted with intellectuals and social activists. He observed that the BJP-led government at the Centre destroyed the secular fabric of the country and it was high to rebuild the nation by uniting all sections of the people in the country and this would be possible only with the Congress party.

The meeting deliberated on various issues and problems facing the people in Telangana. Gandhi sought their views on how to protect the constitutional rights of the people. He expressed concern that Indian culture was being undermined and its history was being distorted to mislead the youth. Besides, the unsound economic policies were wrecking the economy, squeezing any employment prospects for the youth. He noted that the TRS government in the State was no less behind the BJP in ruining the lives of people, especially the poor. They were destroying natural resources with impunity and benefiting the corporates, while suppressing the labour sector.

Diddi Praveen Kumar, a social activist from Nenu Saitam Social organization from Mahabubnagar, represented to Gandhi that how natural resources like sand, land and forests were being exploited by the TRS government and its leaders. "The central BJP government is trying to illegally do surveys for Uranium mining in Nallamalla forest region. If this is allowed it will pose a grave danger to the Srisailam Project and to the flora and fauna in the Nallamalla region," he said.

Magsaysay awardee and former Chairman of National Child Rights Commission Prof Shanta Sinha, women JAC leader Sajaya, Visa RS Kiran, Geetha Ramaswamy, Jaswin, Mrudula Desai, Rama Egte, OU retired professor Lisi Joseph, Sushi, Sabha, BR Verghese, Sarah Mathews, Sarath Vimala, Meera Sangamitra, social activist Prof Gali Vinod Kumar, former IAS officer Ramesh Babu, MVP Venkata Reddy, engineer Laxman and others participated.