Prayagraj: In a dramatic turnaround, the Kayastha Pathshala (KP) authorities on Thursday night granted permission, with a fresh set of seven directives, for Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron Ki Goonj” event to be held at the KP Ground on Aug 8, a day after cancelling the venue.The Kayastha Pathshala authorities had on Wednesday cancelled the venue for Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s event. However, KP president Chaudhary Jitendra Nath Singh, in response to an undertaking submitted by UPCC chief Ajay Rai, revoked Wednesday’s decision and permitted the event at the KP Ground with a seven-point directive. The Kayastha Pathshala granted permission after taking note of the approval issued by the district administration.Following the clearance, the district Congress leadership stepped up its final preparations for the event. Congress spokesperson Haseeb Ahmed said, “Finally, truth prevailed and LoP Rahul Gandhi’s event will be held at the KP Ground on August 8.” He added that lakhs of students have registered to attend the event and Rahul Gandhi will interact with them.Earlier in the day, the district Congress leadership expressed displeasure over the sequence of events and alleged that the venue was cancelled due to pressure from the ruling BJP on the KP Trust management committee. The party claimed the move reflected the BJP’s fear of Rahul Gandhi’s programme. Senior Congress leaders, meanwhile, remained engaged in finalising strategies to ensure the event’s success.Congress leaders asserted that permission for the venue had already been granted by the KP Trust on July 30. They also alleged that the BJP had earlier attempted to obstruct Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Students’ Voice) events in Kota (Rajasthan) and Dehradun (Uttarakhand), but those attempts failed and the events were held successfully. They claimed a similar attempt was made to disrupt the Prayagraj event but said the BJP would have to relent in the face of the overwhelming support and enthusiasm of students in the Sangam city.“If jobs are not provided, questions will be raised, and those in power will have to answer,” said senior Congress leader Mohd Farhan, adding, “After Kota and Dehradun, the voice of the students has now reached Prayagraj.”He said Prayagraj is a city where lakhs of young people spend years preparing to realise their dreams. They fill out forms, pay fees and work day and night, only to be left waiting endlessly for recruitment processes to conclude. Paper leaks have snatched away their present, while pending recruitments have rendered their future uncertain. He alleged that when these youths travelled to Delhi to raise their voices for their rights, they were met with lathi-charge and even pellet guns, but asserted that their voices would not be silenced. “This fight for students’ rights will continue, and voices will keep being raised to secure justice for them,” he said.UPCC chief Ajay Rai reiterated that the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Voice of Students) event would be held as scheduled on August 8 and said the BJP would be compelled to bow before the students.
