03 November,2011 04:49 AM IST | | Ravikiran Deshmukh
Taking inspiration from LK Advani's Jan Chetna Yatra, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi will embark on an Insaaf yatra to highlight the plight of migrants, while BJP MLC Pasha Patel will conduct a padyatra for farmers
At a time when many political experts question the purpose of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani'su00a0 Jan Chetna Yatra, there are others who have already taken inspiration and have decided to embark on their own yatras.
Yatra bonanza: Even though political experts think yatras as a
campaigning tool are outdated, BJP MLC Pasha Patel and Samajwadi
Party leader Abu Azmi have embarked on yatras. File pic
Taking a cue from the 83-year-old leader, who reached Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi made an announcement that he too would be conducting a Chetavani (warning) rally on November 13 at Somaiyya Grounds, Sion.
"Soon after the rally, I will be undertaking an Insaaf yatra, details of which will be announced during the rally by chief Mulayam Singh Yadav," Azmi said adding that the reason for his rally is to highlight how the state government has ignored the problems of the minorities and the migrants in Mumbai.
"The state shouldn't have announced regularisation of slums erected till 2000. Labourers that migrate from North India have stopped coming due to which the industrial sector is suffering. Some industrialists have complained of the shortage of labourers and demanded that MHADA should construct small dwelling units for the labourers."
'For the farmers'
And it isn't only Azmi who has taken inspiration from Advani. Jumping on the yatra bandwagon was BJP MLC Pasha Patel, who declared that he would be carrying out a padyatra from Latur to Nagpur. The reason for his yatra: to demand remunerative prices for farm yields.
Patel said his yatra
would start on November 19 and will be flagged off by BJP deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde and Leader of Opposition in the State Council Pandurang Phundkar. Patel added that he would cover a distance of 525 km highlighting the plight ofu00a0 the famers, and would reach Nagpur on December 12, his arrival coinciding with the beginning of the Winter Session of the state legislature.
According to Patel, the Congress-led governmentsu00a0 at the state as well as the Centre have failed to take cognisance of the farmers' dilemma.
525u00a0 The distance (in km) of BJP MLC Pasha Patel's padyatra
