This is why '27 saal UP Behaal' yatra failed to do any good for Congress in Kanpur

We are terrorists; we aren't important

Reacting to the decision of senior leaders, Haji Mohammad Salis, General Secretary of the All India Sunni Ulema Council, said that Congress was busy playing the Brahmin card and Muslims have ceased to be relevant for the party.

"Since recent times, Congress has been neglecting us; earlier, a secret meeting for Brahmins was organised in the city but no such meeting was conducted with Muslim leaders. They have probably perceived that all Muslims are terrorists or anti-national," said Salis.

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Don't ignore the minority

Speaking to Catch, Mohd Isaaq, former corporator and Congress leader, said that if the Congress wants to revive its floundering fortunes, then it needs to pay some attention towards the minority community too. He was convinced that playing only the Brahmin card won't translate into a good performance in the Assembly election.

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AC buses don't make sense

Speaking about the road show, Isaaq said that the leaders once again failed to sacrifice comfort for the sake of the party and its voters. He criticised the bus yatra, asserting that sitting in air-conditioned buses and waving at crowds is not what is expected from leaders. Voters want a mass leader, not a class leader, Isaaq pointed out.

Congress following the footprints of Modi

Expressing his disappointment with the bus yatra, Kanpur Shehar Qazi Alam Raza Noori said that Congress is following the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by trying to woo Brahmin and other caste Hindu voters. "They have forgotten that Muslims were always with the Congress and not BJP. Congress shouldn't forget that they can't win if the Muslims decide to vote against the party," Noori stated.

He urged all the Muslims to vote for one party this election to prove that their vote is essential for forming the government in the state.

Failed to repeat history

Recalling the Rajiv Gandhi era, Yamin Chaudhary, a businessman, said that the Congress leaders failed to repeat history.

He said, "Once Rajiv Gandhi was in the city and his schedule was very tight, but he made sure that he visited Muslim-dominated areas before leaving the city. It was around 2 am when he finally met voters in these areas and listened to all their queries, problems, and suggestions.

But today, the Congress leaders don't want to make that kind of effort; they just sat in the air-conditioned bus and went to Ghanta Ghar to make 'false promises' without interacting with the people who kept waiting for the bus to pass through their areas."

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Raj Babbar has more pull than Congress

Ghanta Ghar, the last stop in the yatra, saw the attendance of a good number of people, but many of them were there to catch a glimpse of actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar rather than to hear what the Congress leaders had to say. Rakesh Singh (50), a mechanic by profession, was present at Ghanta Ghar to see Raj Babbar. When asked about his thoughts on the future of Congress in the state, he said, "I am here to see Raj Babbar only, and I don't know about the party's future. However, seeing the results of other states, I don't think Congress would form the government here."

Another spectator, Haji Ali Hussain, said that he waited for Babbar to reach Ghanta Ghar so that he could stand on a chair near the stage and click a selfie.

'BJP has gone down to the fourth position in UP'

Sheila Dikshit, former chief minister of Delhi and Congress CM candidate in UP, was sure that Congress would form the government after a gap of 27 years in the state with a victory in the 2017 Assembly election. She claimed BJP has dropped to the fourth position in Uttar Pradesh.

UP Congress chief Raj Babbar said Dikshit would work for the development of the state just like she did in Delhi. He also attacked the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and BJP for their failure to make Uttar Pradesh a developed state.

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