Lucknow, May 21: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav abruptly left a public meeting in Prayagraj on Sunday after a chaotic crowd created a stampede-like situation, posing a potential security threat, said a report published in The Hindu.
The rally, held at Padila under the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency, was intended to support the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidate Amar Nath Singh Maurya. However, the event descended into disorder as enthusiastic party workers surged towards the stage, ignoring repeated pleas from both leaders to maintain order.
Despite the commotion, Gandhi and Yadav attempted to address the audience, discussing critical issues such as unemployment and inflation, and criticizing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for policies they claimed harm farmers, youth, women, and government employees. “If they [the BJP] come to power again, they may bring such a law which will take away the rights of our farmers,” Yadav warned. Gandhi added that the BJP government was serving the interests of a select capitalist elite at the expense of the poor and had caused significant damage to the country’s economy, social fabric, and democratic institutions.
Efforts to calm the crowd proved futile, with security personnel and local police struggling to control the situation. Videos from the rally showed broken barricades and an overwhelming number of supporters pushing towards the stage. The chaos led Gandhi and Yadav to leave the venue in a helicopter after approximately 20 minutes.
Later, the two leaders traveled to Mungari village under the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat, where they addressed a more controlled gathering in support of Congress candidate Ujjwal Raman Singh.
The Phulpur parliamentary constituency holds historical significance as it was once represented by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The incident at the rally underscores the challenges faced by political leaders in maintaining order and security during large public gatherings.
