This story is from February 12, 2019

15km in 5 hours: Biggest Congress show in several years in UP

15km in 5 hours: Biggest Congress show in several years in UP
Congress President, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi during a road show at Lucknow on Monday
LUCKNOW: Cutouts of Rafale jets were held aloft by Congressmen amid fluttering party flags even as city roads were lined with posters and banners of the party trinity — Rahul, Priyanka and Jyotiraditya. Lucknow was witness to one of the biggest show of strength by the grand old party after several years.
And the star was the newly-appointed party general secretary and in charge of eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi, whose maiden roadshow covering 15km in five hours, received an overwhelming response from cadre and people.
Hours before Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by her sibling Rahul and Jyotiraditya, landed in Lucknow, hundreds of party workers had already gathered at Amausi airport, Mall Avenue party headquarters and all along the route demarcated for the roadshow.
Wearing an off-white kurta and her trademark smile, Priyanka waved at crowds on the street and at scores of supporters on rooftops and balconies of houses lining the street. Chanting slogans and carrying billboards — “Yeh dushmano ke liye andhi hai, ye nayi Indira Gandhi hai”, “Priyanka Gandhi aayi hai, BJP ghabrayi hai”, “Aagayi badlaav ki aandhi, Rahul sangg Priyanka Gandhi” and “Chowkidaar hee chor hai”, the streets were brimming with people jostling for space to get a glimpse of their leaders.
Perched atop a bus, Rahul, Priyanka and Jyotiraditya along with other Congress leaders, negotiated their way through residential areas, waved and reciprocated cheers from people standing by roads for several hours. Ducking tree branches and dangling electric wires, the trio later got into an SUV when they reached the Burlington crossing.
Injecting fervour in the cadre, Rahul intermittently screamed “chowkidaar” to which workers responded with “chor hai.”
Amid beating of drums and flower shower, the trio took a minor halt at Lalbagh where Rahul addressed people for two minutes, announcing that the party would play on the front foot in the upcoming elections, even as Priyanka smiled with folded hands. “I was watching Priyanka and Rahul from the balcony. There is something about her, about her innocent smile which appears to be honest. I was a staunch supporter of BJP. But the party I chose, didn’t do anything in five years. Now, I will have to reconsider my decision,” said Tripti Khanna a resident of Lalbagh.

The trio then went ahead for a cup of chai at the city’s famous Sharma ki Chai and then moved towards the Hazratganj crossing, which houses statues of Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. Here, they offered floral tributes.
While party workers jostled for space, they suddenly toppled over one another and broke a portion of the boundary wall of Gandhi Park in Hazratganj. Waiting outside the party office since 8 am, Amit Kumar, 28, from Ambedkarnagar said, “I haven’t eaten all day just to secure a space for myself in the crowd. I am so excited to see Priyankaji, I could wait here for two days. India is seeing a revolution, everyone can see Modi’s false promises. Change is imminent.”
The cavalcade then moved to the party office from here where workers were addressed by Rahul Gandhi, before Priyanka left the city for Jaipur and Scindia stayed back to hold the fort in Lucknow.
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