The question that made Rahul stay

It was a simple question from a Class X student of Police Modern School that prompted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to extend his stay at the twin villages of Bhatta-Parsaul in Greater Noida

It was a simple question from a Class X student of Police Modern School that prompted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to extend his stay at the twin villages of Bhatta-Parsaul in Greater Noida,the epicentre of the farmers’ agitation in western UP.

Narrating her interaction with the Congress leader,15-year-old Neha Malik said she was very agitated over the prevalent situation in the village. And when Rahul Gandhi came to her house,she started questioning him.

Neha said when she asked Rahul to comment on the current situation,he said he was aggrieved.

Story continues below this ad

“I told him to go back as his visit could not bring the men back,to which Rahul promised her to stay in the village till the cases against the villagers were taken back,” Neha recalled.

At another locality in the village,Jagbiri Devi,who is in her early 80s,sat in one of the rooms of a house occupied by Rahul Gandhi,ignorant of the Congress leader’s stature.

The house was later made out of bounds for everybody,except a few senior Congress leaders and some SPG officers. With tears in her eyes,Jagbiri said her son Vedpal has been missing ever since the clashes erupted between the police and villagers in Bhatta-Parsaul.

“My son,Vedpal,is one of the five farmers who were arrested in Lucknow and handed over to the Noida police when they had gone to meet the UP governor to hand him a memorandum complaining about the land acquisition in our villages. He is a private teacher in Rajasthan and comes homes in months,said Jagbiri.

Story continues below this ad

The government had acquired eight bighas of her land as well.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram