Rahul, who was earlier denied the opportunity to garland Ambedkar's statue at the collectorate, paid rich tributes to Ambedkar, saying it was Congress who made Ambedkar the chairman of the Constituent assembly and the law minister in recognition of his work for marginalized sections of society. For the crowds, Rahul's garlanding Bapu and Babasaheb also signified that the Congress scion aspired to take forward the legacy of both. He then flagged off the Chetna Yatra from Ambedkarnagar — a small town about 50 km from Faizabad — on Wednesday.
The launch of the Chetna Yatra coincides with Congress's 125th year celebrations and is also seen as a kick-off for Rahul's campaign for the UP elections in 2012. Amid thunderous applause, Rahul said he saw no future for politics based on the caste and communities; instead, he said politics will revolve around youth and their aspirations.
"The Congress government at the Centre has started the world's biggest employment scheme under NREGA which will benefit dalits and the poor. But in UP, it has not reached the targeted beneficiaries," he said, and asked,
"If the state government's claims about providing employment to the poor is true, why are people from UP migrating for work to other states?"
The crowd, which waited patiently under a blazing sun for hours for Rahul's arrival, broke barriers and climbed up poles and tree-tops. There was a fracas when two youngsters climbed up chairs and waved black flags shouting "Rahul murdabad". A near stampede followed with a mob of Rahul's supporters thrashing them black and blue.
Overlooking the commotion, Rahul continued his spiel slamming the state government for misgovernance. "We send thousands of crores for development but the money does not reach the poor. Similarly, we launched the right to education but state government says it has no money," Rahul said.
