Prayagraj: A day after the Kayastha Pathshala (KP) authorities restored permission for Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” programme, preparations gathered pace across Sangam City on Friday, with senior Congress leaders camping in the city and youth workers reaching out to students to ensure a large turnout.The Congress MP is scheduled to interact with students at KP Ground on Saturday evening on issues related to education, employment and recruitment.While the state and district Congress leadership is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the participation of the maximum number of youths from Prayagraj and adjoining districts, the entire city has been flooded with posters and banners of “Chhatron Ki Goonj”.The event in Prayagraj, often referred to as the students’ hub of eastern UP, will be the third in the country after Kota and Dehradun, as the Congress campaign focuses on the future of the youth, transparency in recruitment examinations, employment and reforms in the education system.Rahul is scheduled to reach Prayagraj around 3.15 pm on Saturday and will head to Swaraj Bhawan, where he will meet people, including senior leaders and party workers.He will interact with students at KP Ground between 5 pm and 7.30 pm and later leave for Delhi around 10 pm.Mohd Farhan, organiser of the “Chhatron Ki Goonj” event, told TOI, “Over 1.74 lakh students have registered for the event.”He added that senior Congress functionaries, including Aradhana Mishra (member of the UP Legislative Assembly), Rajendra Pal Gautam (AICC in-charge for UP), UPCC chief Ajay Rai and others, are camping in the city to make the event a grand success.Rai said that Rahul is visiting Prayagraj to stand in solidarity with the students. He clarified that it is not a political event and that there will be no party flags or political activities, but only discussions on issues concerning students.The Kayastha Pathshala authorities had cancelled the venue for Rahul Gandhi’s event on Wednesday. However, KP president Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh, in response to an undertaking submitted by UPCC chief Ajay Rai, revoked the earlier decision and permitted the event at KP Ground with a seven-point directive. The Kayastha Pathshala granted permission after taking note of the approval issued by the district administration.Box‘Students Goonj Parks’ to livestream eventThe Indian Youth Congress on Friday announced that it will set up ‘Students Goonj Parks’ at more than 250 locations across the country on August 8, where students will gather to watch Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with students in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj live. According to an official statement, large LED screens will be installed at designated student hubs and other high-footfall locations to livestream Gandhi’s interaction, with the initiative aimed at taking the conversation beyond Prayagraj and creating spaces for students to discuss issues related to education and examinations.
