Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday morning met the families of those killed in the Hathras Stampede Gandhi also appealed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure that victims of the Hathras stampede are compensated at the earliest and not later.
Speaking to Hathras after meeting the families, the Congress MP said, “It is very tragic. Many families have lost a lot. Many have died. I don’t want to say anything from a political angle, but the administration has shortcomings and has made some mistakes. This needs to be found out. The most important thing is that they are given adequate compensation. These are poor families and they are going through a very tough time. They should be given maximum compensation. I request the Uttar Pradesh chief minister to give them compensation wholeheartedly.”
On compensation, Gandhi added: “They should get the compensation right now. They need it right now. If they get it six months or a year later, it will be of no use… I spoke to the families personally. About their family, their children, their mother, what they did, how they were. They said the administration was at fault. The police who should have been there were not there. They are distraught and shocked, and I tried to understand their problems.”
Gandhi was accompanied by UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, party general secretary and UP in-charge Avinash Pande, state general secretary (organisation) Anil Yadav and other senior Congress leaders.
As many as 121 people, mostly women, were killed on Tuesday in a stampede after a satsang by religious preacher Suraj Pal, also known as Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari or ‘Bhole Baba’in Hathras.
Anil Yadav said The Indian Express Gandhi reached Pilakhna village in Aligarh around 8.30am, where he met the families who had lost several members in the tragedy. “He went to the houses and met the families of the victims,” Yadav said.
Gandhi then proceeded to Hathras Green Park in Vibhav Nagar, where he met some families affected by the tragedy. “He shared his grief with them and told them that he would be by their side in this difficult time,” Yadav said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 05-07-2024 at 12:47 IST
