Priyanka Gandhi to kick off UP campaign with Varanasi rally

The Uttar Pradesh Congress will formally launch its election campaign for the 2022 Assembly elections on Sunday with a rally to be addressed by party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in Varanasi.

The rally, earlier titled 'Pratiggya Rally', has now been named as 'Kisan Nyay Rally' and will focus primarily on the Lakhimpur incident with farmers as the focus.

The rally will be held on Sunday afternoon at the Jagatpur Inter College ground and party leaders have been working overtime to ensure a 'huge' presence at the event.

Before addressing the rally, Priyanka will offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Durga temple in Varanasi.

Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu said: "To ensure justice to the farmers killed by Union Minister's son in Lakhimpur Kheri, the party will launch a movement at the rally and will ensure that this movement reaches each village, locality, market and Assembly area of the state."

He claimed that the party's movement will continue till justice is ensured to the families of the killed farmers.

He said that the arrest of the Minister's son Ashish Mishra on Saturday was insufficient and the Union Minister Ajay Mishra

Teni must also step down to ensure a fair probe into the incident.

Targeting the BJP-led state government on Lakhimpur Kheri episode, Lallu alleged that it is surprising that a government which ensures demolitions with bulldozers and displays posters of criminals in minor incidents, is tight-lipped about the killing of farmers.

"The government should say when it will release the posters of accused persons of Lakhimpur Kheri," said the UPCC chief.

He alleging that the BJP governments at the Centre and state were trying their best to protect the accused and son of the minister.

Meanwhile, as per AICC directives, Congress leaders and workers will observe a three hour 'Maun Vrat' outside the Raj Bhawan on Monday to protest against the Lakhimpur incident.