Noida:
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi began Day 2 of his padyatra by reminding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati about her responsibility towards farmers. Mayawati's BSP has already slammed his visit by saying "such theatrics won't revive the Congress" in the state
Speaking in a village called Sabota, Rahul Gandhi went on to attack Mayawati's new land compensation policy. "It is the responsibility of the UP government that whatever happened here, should come into their notice. There are thousands of farmers who couldn't get the right prices for their land. Mayawati has introduced a new policy, but the policy is not being applied here. That is why I came here...to slowly and gradually understand what is happening here. I will meet people and understand their problems and convey the same to the Centre in Delhi," he said.
Rahul Gandhi is visiting the villages along the under-construction Yamuna Expressway from Noida to Agra to discuss with farmers their views on land acquisition. He spent last night at the house of a Congress worker, who is also a farmer, in a village called Rampur Bangar. Dal, roti and vegetable with no chillies - this simple fare was his dinner at his host Vijaypal Sharma's house. He was up early this morning and then left for the next stop on his route.
(Read: Rahul Gandhi eats dal-roti at night halt at farmer's house)Yesterday, like his first visit to Greater Noida, he entered the twin villages of Bhatta-Parsaul at 6 am. In a repeat performance of his May visit, he managed to sneak past the heavy security placed in this sensitive zone by the UP government.
The Congress General Secretary sat on the charpai talking to farmers and their wives, at one point comfortably holding a young child who sat in school uniform in his lap.
He was here, he said, to find out what farmers really think about their land being acquired by the Mayawati government for both public projects and commercial development.
"I had come to Bhatta a few days ago when the police were causing trouble here. What happened here, nobody else came to know about it. This is the truth. I thought I should clearly understand the land acquisition that is an issue from here all the way upto Agra. And I wanted to know your thoughts about it," he said.
The BSP has dismissed Rahul's visit as yet another publicity attempt. "The people of UP have rejected Rahul Gandhi, His theatrics won't revive the Congress in UP, said BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya.
The BJP too grabbed the opportunity to blame the Centre and slammed his visit. "Rahul Gandhi's visit will not make any difference. People of Uttar Pradesh laugh at him because his visits will not bring any change. The Central government itself has made wrong policies about SEZ," said BJP's Uma Bharti.
(Watch - Uma Bharti: 'People of UP laugh at Rahul Gandhi')The Yamuna Expressway has become the icon of the dispute between the farmers and the Uttar Pradesh government over development in the region.
The resentment of the farmers erupted into a riot of sorts on a weekend in early May. In clashes between farmers and the police, four people were killed in Bhatta-Parsaul. That time too, Rahul Gandhi had arrived at 4.30 am on a motorcycle, and spent a day talking to villagers, before Mayawati had him arrested and then escorted back into Delhi.
(Read & Watch: Rahul Gandhi arrested, released on bail in midnight drama) After that, she revised her government's land acquisition policy, promising farmers fairer terms in the future.
(Read: Mayawati counters Rahul Gandhi with new land policy)Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that women had been raped during these clashes by policemen, but inquiries conducted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said they did not find any evidence of this.
The Yamuna Expressway, 165 km long and meant to connect Greater Noida to Agra with a two-hour drive, is not unanimously opposed. At Nangal Bhatauna, for example, where Rahul Gandhi spent nearly six hours, villagers say they welcome the chance to sell their land. The construction, they told him, has pushed land prices up. And they will be able to earn far more from surrendering their land than from farming it.
That influenced Rahul Gandhi to offer a gentler assessment than his first trip of Mayawati's policies. "I have not come across anyone who does not want to give land for development," he said, but "they want justice."
He plans - if Mayawati doesn't interrupt - to arrive at Aligarh before a critical maha-panchayat on Saturday, where senior farmers will exchange their views on land acquisition.
At Rustampur, seven kilometres away from Bhatta-Parsaul, farmers say they are being coerced to give their land to the government. Often, they say, a part of their land is transferred to real estate developers who want to set up malls or apartment complexes - the government makes a profit, so do the developers, but farmers have none of the upside.
A fact acknowledged by the Supreme Court on Tuesday which is deciding whether land acquired by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority cheated farmers. A petition in the court argues that the land was bought from farmers at rates suitable for industrial development but was then given to real estate companies for residential projects, swindling farmers of a better deal.
"The state is taking advantage of this law and driving the farmers out of the village. This is a sinister campaign," said the Supreme Court. "What do farmers get? Lathis and litigations? Men are arrested and women are raped," the judges said - comments that will boost Rahul Gandhi's campaign. (
Read: Supreme Court to UP Govt - Sinister campaign to grab land)