Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined her brother Rahul Gandhi and the party team for a visit to Lakhmipur Kheri to meet the families of farmers who were killed during Sunday's clashes.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier reached Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur today where his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was in detention.
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Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi left the Lucknow airport in his own vehicle after staging a brief 'dharna' on being asked to travel in a police vehicle.
The Gandhi scion is accompanied by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi.
"Rahul Gandhiji along with Punjab Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel have left for Lakhimpur Kheri from the Lucknow airport," UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh has said.
Rahul will first visit Sitapur where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been kept under detention. After that, they will head to Lakhimpur Kheri, where 8 people lost their lives in a violent incident.
Gandhi was stopped from leaving the Lucknow airport, hours after the Uttar Pradesh government ostensibly gave him permission to visit Lakhimpur Kheri.
Gandhi also posted on the microblogging site Twitter asking: “This is the BJP government’s ‘permission’. What are they so afraid of?"
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？？？？？ ？？？？？ ？？ ‘？？？？？？’!
？？？？ ？？ ？？？ ？？？ ？？? #IndiaDemandsJustice pic.twitter.com/n5Y0dCfvHN
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 6, 2021
In a clip shared by news agency ANI, the Congress leader can be seen pointing to a cordon of security staff who he claimed are barring his way out of the airport.
#WATCH | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asks police officials at Lucknow airport "under which rule are you deciding how I'll go? Just tell me the rule."
Gandhi is leading a Congress delegation to violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri pic.twitter.com/X0HeOzQB5e
— ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2021
Television footage from the airport showed officials telling Rahul Gandhi to take the police vehicle, which he didn't agree to and sat on a 'dharna' there.
"We want to go in our own vehicles, but they want that we should go in their vehicle. I want to know that why are you not allowing me to go? First, I was told that I can go in my own vehicle, now you are saying that you will go in police vehicle. They are doing some mischief," Gandhi said while speaking to reporters.
To a question, Gandhi said, "You can put me or Priyanka in a jail. It does not have any meaning. The question is that six people were crushed by criminals. Those who should have been in a jail, are not being put in a jail. We are being stopped from meeting the aggrieved families of the farmers."
Gandhi is leading a delegation of the Congress leaders to meet with the families of two farmers who lost their lives in the deadly clashes in Lakhimpur Kheri recently. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC are in force in the district after Sunday's violence.
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