New Delhi: Even as a controversy erupted over
senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh`s trip to Azamgarh,
Rahul Gandhi will pay a visit there apparently to send
positive signals among the minorities in the Uttar Pradesh
town which came under a cloud after the Delhi serial blasts.
The young AICC General Secretary will hold interactions
with college students in Azamgarh, Singh told reporters here.
Singh today led a delegation of state Congress leaders to
party chief Sonia Gandhi and gave her a report on his visit to
Azamgarh where he had raised doubts over the Batla house
encounter of September 19, 2008, sparking a controversy.
The AICC General Secretary in-charge of UP said Gandhi
has assured the delegation that she will request the Central
government to take a decision soon on their demand for setting
up of a special court to hear all such terror-related cases.
Recalling the contribution of Azamgarh in Indian freedom
struggle and in particular the glorious history of Shibli
National College of the town, Singh said," Rahulji will go
there and interact with students."
He said the college which Rahul is proposed to visit is
124 years old and Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru were associated with it. He said the delegation also requested Sonia Gandhi to visit the college.
Rahul`s proposed visit appears to be a move to send
positive signals among the Muslim minorities there, who have
shown signs of returning to Congress fold since the last Lok
Sabha election. Congress has plans to go alone in the 2012
assembly elections in the state.
Most of the Indian Mujaheedin terrorists arrested for
2008 Delhi blasts were from Azamgarh and the residents there
had been complaining of stereo-typing.
-PTI
