‘It is our right to meet anyone …’: Rahul Gandhi engages with fishermen and Right to Food activists

NEW DELHI: Congress leader and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, claimed that a delegation of fishermen, who wanted to meet him in Parliament, was stopped on Thursday.

The fishermen had issues related to Sri Lanka that they wished to discuss. Rahul Gandhi addressed the media, saying, it is their right to meet anyone, but noted they were not being allowed inside.

“It is our right to meet anyone. But they are not allowing it. I had spoken about farmers. Speaker told the House that they are not being stopped. Now they have been stopped again. There is a Sri Lanka issue of farmers. There were also people from Child Welfare…I keep doing this (meeting delegations)…My life becomes a bit more difficult as it is easier to meet them there (LoP Chamber in Parliament). Otherwise, now I have to keep coming here,” said Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, headed to the reception area of Parliament. The Congress party posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about Gandhi’s meeting with delegations.

“LoP Rahul Gandhi meets delegations from the Right to Food Campaign and fishermen from across India, listening to their concerns and standing up for their rights!” Congress posted on X.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi highlighted Gandhi’s ongoing commitment to his ‘Bharat Jodo’ resolve by meeting student delegations who had not been able to enter Parliament yet.

“A student delegation has not been able to enter the Parliament yet and meet LoP. Rahul Gandhi is going to meet them because his resolve of ‘Bharat Jodo’ continues,” Gogoi said.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi also met members of the Safai Karamchari Andolan and people involved in manual scavenging at his office in Parliament. The Congress party shared details of the meeting on social media.

“Members of the Safai Karamchari Andolan and people involved in the practice of manual scavenging met the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at his office in Parliament today. The Modi government claims that the practice of manual scavenging has been eradicated from the country, but the ground reality is different. Government data shows that in the last 5 years, 377 people lost their lives while cleaning and tanks. The government needs to pay attention towards their safety and better life and this is possible only when the government accepts the truth,” Congress posted on X.

Moreover, today saw Rahul Gandhi, along with other Congress Members of Parliament (MPs), attending a meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs. This meeting took place in the Parliament House Annexe in Delhi.

In another development within Parliament, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was introduced by minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju. The bill seeks to address issues related to the powers of the State Waqf Boards, registration and survey of waqf properties, and the removal of encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha with a focus on effectively dealing with these pertinent issues.

Courtesy : TOI

Note: This news is originally published in timesofindia.com and was used solely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights