Sonia to address farmers' rally at Dadri

NEW DELHI: Congress is set to take its fight against the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to Uttar Pradesh with party chief Sonia Gandhi addressing a farmers rally in Dadri, Noida on Tuesday.
    
The rally has been organised by the Uttar Pradesh to protest the acquisition of farmers land and "atrocities on them by the Mayawati-led government."
    
The rally was earlier planned for September 13 to mark one month of a bloody clash between police and farmers of Ghori Bachera village in Greater Noida over inadequate compensation to farmers whose lands were acquired a few years ago.
    
Besides Gandhi, the rally will be addressed by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the UP Congress said.
    
Congress is also protesting the take over of 50 'bighas' of land by the state government allegedly for the construction of Mayawati's bungalow in Badalpur, her ancestral place.
    
UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi said the protest was not limited to Badalpur and Greater Noida but also the decision of the state government to take over farming land for the 800-km long Ganga Expressway.
    
On August 13, three villagers were killed while over 65 injured, in a clash outside the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority office.
    
Police said they had to fire to disperse the violent crowd. The farmers were demanding enhanced compensation for land acquired after 2004.