Uttar Pradesh Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday met Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad in Meerut, where he is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Azad and his supporters were taken into custody in Deoband on Tuesday after they allegedly violated the Model Code of Conduct by using more than a stipulated number of motorcyles in a political rally in Saharanpur district. Azad had soon fallen ill after he was detained and was admitted to the Anand Hospital in Meerut.

Advertisement

Soon after her meeting, she told reporters that she likes his energy, ANI reported. “He is a young man who is struggling and raising his voice, but this government is trying to suppress his voice,” Gandhi said. “I like the way he raises voice for youth.

The Bhim Army leader had flagged off the “Hunkar rally” in Meerut on Sunday, which was supposed to culminate at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on March 15. He had planned overnight stays in Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad, among other places, as well as a number of road shows and workers’ meetings. Organisers said the rally in Muzaffarnagar was cancelled after his detention although the Delhi leg would be held as scheduled.

Chandrashekhar told ABP News that he does not discuss politics. “My only goal is to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP is defeated in the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh,” Chandrashekhar said. He added that Gandhi visited him on humanitarian grounds.

To a question about contesting the elections against Modi, Chandrashekar said that if the prime minister contests the polls from Varanasi, he would throw his hat in the ring too. Modi is the constituency’s current MP.