Kanhaiya Kumar with Congress, AAP and CPI supporters during a road show in New Delhi on May 6.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar held a roadshow in the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency on Monday, holding a large framed copy of the Preamble of the Constitution above his head as AAP leaders and supports also joined in.
The 37-year-old leader, who is up against the BJP's Manoj Tiwari from the seat, took out the roadshow after filing his nomination papers.
A large number of people, party workers and supporters attended the roadshow under the scorching sun. It started from near the Maujpur Metro Station and culminated near the district magistrate's office, taking more than 1.5 hours to cover the about two km distance.
As the rally moved forward, Kumar greeted people by waving at them amid beating of drums and playing of songs like "hathi ghoda palki, jai Kanhaiya lal ki".
Some people initially lifted Kumar on their shoulders and he later sat in an e-rickshaw.
"We want employment for the youth of the northeast Delhi. We want relief from GST imposed on shopkeepers. We also want a minimum wage of Rs 400 to labourers. For women, we want to pay Rs 1 lakh per year," Kumar said.
"We want to waive education loans. In the small agricultural area on the banks of Yamuna river, we want to give the farmers price of their crops. We want peace, justice and progress," Kumar said.
Music system also played Kanhaiya Kuamr's campaign song during the rally.
Apart from the Congress' flags, a huge number of Aam Aadmi Party's yellow and blue flags were also seen in the roadshow as several AAP workers and supporters participated.
Delhi Congress's interim chief Devender Yadav and former president Anil Chaudhary also joined Kumar. Seelampur AAP MLA Abdul Rehman and other leaders also came to the roadshow.
Yadav said people are with the Congress and Kumar.
"The way Kanhaiya's rally has taken place and a large number of people have participated, it shows the love of people. It shows that today people are winning elections and they are with the Congress and Kumar. The INDIA bloc is fighting the election unitedly," Yadav said.
Kumar kept greeting people with folded hands and also waved at the passersby. His supporters showered flower petals on Kumar.
"People will vote on the issues of development and employment. We do not want free ration. There is no need to feed free things to people. We want jobs which will enable us to purchase it," said Amit Kumar, a resident of Durgapuri.
Party supporters and workers waved flags and chanted slogans in support of the party as well as Kumar and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.
Bhupender Singh, another resident of Durgapuri, said Kumar is young and energetic.
"Those who are looking for a change will surely think about this option also. People want education and jobs. The high inflation rate is also an issue for us. We think that the coming government should work on these and give relief to the people of the city," he said.
The Congress is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in an alliance with the AAP in Delhi.
As part of the seat-sharing arrangement, the Congress is contesting three seats while the AAP has fielded candidates from four constituencies in the national capital.
Polling for the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi will be held in the sixth phase on May 25.