Lucknow: Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, made a day-long visit to his parliamentary constituency Rae Bareli on Tuesday. During his visit, he met with the family members of Kirti Chakra awardee, martyr Captain Anshuman Singh.
Gandhi invited the martyr's family from Lucknow to Rae Bareli. Manju Singh, Captain Singh's mother, expressed her grief, stating, "We are sad that our son has left us all in the lurch; the family needed him." She added, "I want to live with this pain all my life and I want more pain so that I can remember my son."
An official reported that the meeting took place at Bhuemau Guest House in Rae Bareli. President Draupadi Murmu had recently conferred the Kirti Chakra, the second highest peacetime bravery award, on Captain Anshuman Singh, presenting it to his wife Smriti and mother Manju Singh at the Defense Investiture Ceremony in Delhi. Captain Singh was martyred in July last year while saving people from a fierce fire.
Manju Singh discussed the Agniveer scheme with Gandhi during their meeting. "There should not be two types of armies," she stated, urging the government to reconsider the scheme. "Gandhi said that he has requested the government to end the Agniveer scheme, which is not fair to the army.
The country is with us," she added. Singh emphasized, "We are from a military family, whether it is the ruling party or the opposition, we will fight everyone and we request the government with folded hands to stop the Agniveer scheme, because recruitment in the army for only four years is not right."
During his visit, Gandhi also met with workers and representatives of various organizations. He paid tribute to martyrs at the Gandhi Shaheed Smarak and planted a tree. Additionally, he visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rae Bareli to check on the well-being of patients.
Gandhi arrived in Lucknow from Imphal, the capital of Manipur, and traveled to Rae Bareli by road. He offered prayers at the Churwa Hanuman temple near Bachhrawan in Rae Bareli. The Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit noted on social media platform 'X' that "People's leader Rahul Gandhi offered prayers at the Churwa Hanuman temple in Rae Bareli and prayed to Lord Hanuman for the happiness, peace and prosperity of the country."
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi secured the Rae Bareli seat with a margin of over 3.90 lakh votes. Following his victory, he held a meeting with party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party workers.
