Congress puts off marathon races, rallies by two weeks in Uttar Pradesh
The Hindu
Cites COVID-19 but scare in Bareilly too might have prompted the decision
The Congress on Wednesday announced that it would not hold any of the marathon races scheduled for this week and postpone all large gatherings and public rallies by two weeks in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh in the wake of rising COVID cases.
Sources said a decision will soon be taken by Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) in other poll-bound States like Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur after assessing the COVID situation.
Though All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for U.P. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cited the surge in COVID-19 cases for postponing large gatherings, the decision to call off the marathons for girls under the banner “Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon” (I’m a girl, I can also fight) may have been prompted by the stampede-like scare in Bareilly on Tuesday morning in which three girls were injured.