LUCKNOW: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally, the Rajput community, miffed over allegedly being “overlooked” by the ruling BJP in ticket distribution for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, congregated in Nanauta area of Saharanpur district on Sunday to express their discontent and iving a call to defeat the ruling alliance.
Members of the Rajput community thronged Saharanpur from different states to take part in the congregation and discussed a host of issues related to the community.
The most significant decision taken at the congregation was to unite the community against the BJP.
Addressing the gathering, the president of Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, Thakur Puran Singh exhorted the community members to vote for a person who has the potential and capability to defeat the BJP candidates.
He accused the ruling party of overlooking the Rajput community which had been backing the saffron party for the past many years. “The BJP will have to pay for this attitude towards Rajputs,” he said while addressing the people.
Shripal Rana, the BSP candidate of Kairana, also reached Nanauta to attend the congregation. The participants claimed that in all, the BJP had denied ticket to 80 candidates from the community.
A feeling of discontent has been simmering among the Rajputs over the alleged disregard of the community in ticket distribution for quite some time.Earlier, a similar congregation had taken place in Chaubisi area of Ghaziabad Lok Sabha constituency where the community was apparently peeved over denial of ticket to Gen VK Singh, the sitting BJP MP from Ghaziabad.
However, in order to placate the community, Prime Minister Modi held a massive rally in Saharanpur on Saturday morning and a roadshow in Ghaziabad the same evening.
Named Kshatriya Swabhiman Mahakumbh, the congregation commenced after traditional “puja-havan” and oblations on the land of Vijayant Rana at Babupura village of Nanauta area in Saharanpur district. Members of the Rajput community had attended the gathering from a number of states including Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan along with the eastern and western regions of Uttar Pradesh.
The next such congregation will take place in village Khera in Sardhana assembly constituency of western UP on April 16.