Bandi winds up 35-day padayatra, ropes in Smriti Irani for Saturday's meet
In 35 days, Sanjay has walked 438 kilometres, covering eight districts and 19 Assembly constituencies
HYDERABAD: BJP state president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar completed the first phase of his Praja Sangrama Yatra on Friday in Husnabad in Siddipet district. In 35 days, Sanjay has walked 438 kilometres, covering eight districts and 19 Assembly constituencies. To mark the event, Sanjay will address a public meeting in Husnabad on Saturday. Union minister for women Smriti Irani will attend as chief guest.
Sanjay began his padayatra from the Bhagyalakshmi temple at Charminar on August 28 after offering special prayers. He has met thousands of people of various sections and got the first-hand information on problems pertaining to agriculture, unemployment, education, irrigation and others.
People handed over 11,675 memoranda to the BJP chief during his walkathon. Sanjay braved the hot sun and the monsoon rains, and the effect of Cyclone Gulab as his padayatra wound to an end. Around 300 volunteers participated in the padayatra. Second generation leaders of political families like T. Veerender Goud, Baddam Mahipal Reddy, Vikram Goud, Bharat Goud and others regularly followed the padayatra.
Sanjay addressed 34 public meetings during the Praja Sangrama Yatra, focusing on the alleged lapses of the TRS government and being extremely critical of the Chief Minister. Sanjay also wrote a series of open letters to the Chief Minister on various issues during the padayatra.
Former Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra and Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh, six Union ministers and 24 national leaders addressed the padayatra. BJP MPs and MLAs also extended their solidarity to the yatra.
The BJP state leadership planned to conduct a public meeting in bypoll-bound Huzurabad on the last day of padayatra, but election code of conduct forced them to divert the padayatra route as well as public meeting to the neighbouring Siddipet district.
Padayatra in-charge G. Manohar Reddy called upon party cadres and people to make the Husnabad meeting on Saturday a grand success. Sanjay brought several problems to the limelight with his padayatra, he said. Speaking to reporters at Potlapally village in Husnabad mandal, Manohar Reddy said the BJP state president interacted with a huge number of people and understood their grievances.
Padayatra in-charge T. Veerender Goud, SC Morcha national secretary S. Kumar, BJP state official spokesperson Enugula Rakesh Reddy, state leaders J. Sangappa, Jayasri and others were present.