Even as a controversy erupted over senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh's trip to Azamgarh, Rahul Gandhi will pay a visit there apparently to send positive signals among the minorities in the Uttar Pradesh town which came under a cloud after the Delhi serial blasts.
The AICC general secretary will hold interactions with college students in Azamgarh, Singh told reporters here.
Singh today led a delegation of state Congress leaders to party chief Sonia Gandhi and gave her a report on his visit to Azamgarh where he had raised doubts over the Batla house encounter of September 19, 2008, sparking a controversy.
The AICC general secretary in-charge of UP said Gandhi has assured the delegation that she will request the Central government to take a decision soon on their demand for setting up of a special court to hear all such terror-related cases.
Recalling the contribution of Azamgarh in Indian freedom struggle and in particular the glorious history of Shibli National College of the town, Singh said," Rahulji will go there and interact with students."
He said the college which Rahul is proposed to visit is 124 years old and Mahatma Gandhi, Motilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru were associated with it. He said the delegation also requested Sonia Gandhi to visit the college.
Rahul's proposed visit appears to be a move to send positive signals among the Muslim minorities there, who have shown signs of returning to Congress fold since the last Lok Sabha election. Congress has plans to go alone in the 2012 assembly elections in the state.
Most of the Indian Mujaheedin terrorists arrested for 2008 Delhi blasts were from Azamgarh and the residents there had been complaining of stereo-typing.
"Rahul's proposed visit to Azamgarh gives a good message. Minorities have returned to Congress in good numbers and we hope this visit will consolidate it further," a party leader said on the condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Singh, from whose controversial remarks his party had distanced itself, today categorically denied having ever demanded any inquiry into the Batla encounter.
"I had not demanded inquiry into the Batla House episode neither earlier nor now. There was only one demand that there should be speedy justice," he said.
"Today we met Sonia Gandhi and requested her to take up our demand for special court for such cases with the government of India to facilitate a fair, just and speedy trial of all accused so that the guilty can be punished as soon as possible and the innocents could be released."
He said Azamgarh was a centre of freedom movement in the past and had a glorious contribution in it. Singh wondered how the area got such a "bad name" that even the press started calling it a nursery of terrorists. He said there is a need to disassociate Azamgarh from the "bad name".
Singh also rubbished the talks of Congress distancing itself from his earlier remarks wondering," Am I not from Congress".
He blamed the media for creating the perception. Singh had earlier also dismissed suggestions that he had gone to Azamgarh on his own, saying "I had discussed it with Rahul Gandhi and the Congress President was aware of it."
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