Cong fumes over UP leaders' 'Dalit Picnic'

New Delhi, Oct 7: Reports of some Uttar Pradesh leaders indulging in what has been come to be known as a 'Dalit Picnic' on Gandhi Jayanti has invited the wrath of the Congress High Command.

The Congress High Command which has taken the Oct 2 incident into serious cognition has set out to formulate guidelines for leaders who wish to visit villages inhabited by Dalits and other oppressed sections of the society.

Inspired by Rahul Gandhi's drive to bond with the oppressed class, the high command had asked some leaders like Union minister for coal Sri Prakash Jaiswal; minister of state for rural development Pradip Jain Aditya; ex-cricketer and Lok Sabha MP, Mohammed Azharuddin and UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi to spend the night in Dalit homes on Oct 2 marking Gandhi Jayanti.

However, the leaders turned the visit into a picnic of sorts when they came equipped with all the luxuries they want. With chicken meals, pedestal fans, mattresses, bed sheets and mineral water, the leaders exposed their lavish lifestyle in the impoverished villages.

Quoting sources, media reports say that Rahul Gandhi has directed this partymen to not behave in this way when they are asked to participate in an outreach programme in its true spirit.

However, Rita Bahuguna Joshi affirmed that 'the spirit was there' and said that she was not demoralised by the media reports.

OneIndia News