Rahul Gandhi meets family of Haryana youth injured in US accident | Nation

PTC Newsroom: On Friday morning, Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, visited Ghoghripur village to meet the family of Amit Maan, a local youth who was injured in an accident in the US recently. Maan had come to the US via the infamous 'donkey route', a dangerous journey many undertake to seek better opportunities abroad.

Gandhi had previously met Maan during his visit to the US and promised to visit his family after his return to India. He kept his word and arrived in the village around 6 a.m. For over an hour, he spoke to Amit about his concern and discussed the family's situation.

During his visit, Gandhi also met the families of five other youths who had also gone abroad and told them about their problems with unemployment. Many families recounted how the dire economic conditions had led their sons to take such great risks in search of a better future.

Amit's elder brother Ajit said the family had invested Rs 4.2 crore to send Amit to the US. They had sold three acres of land and taken loans by mortgaging their house. “He met with an accident in the US and Rahul met him there,” Ajit explained.

Amit's mother Bheermati expressed her gratitude and said, “We were pleasantly surprised that Rahul visited our house. We did not know about this. We thank him for meeting Amit in the US and visiting us now. This shows that he cares about people.”

The conversations with other families were equally moving. Vedpal, a resident of Birchpur village, whose son Ankit Kajal had also entered the US illegally, stressed that unemployment was a major reason for the youths' decision to go abroad. The family expressed their appreciation for Gandhi's visit and presented him with homemade desi ghee, butter and lassi as a token of gratitude.

In addition, the family of Hanif, another youth who had travelled to the United States, described their fate and announced that Hanif had broken his leg while trying to cross a wall into the country.

Satinder Mann, whose brother Tajinder has been helping local youth settle in the US for over a decade, highlighted the desperation that compels young people to take such risks. “Rahul asked us why so many youths are leaving the country and we told him it is because of unemployment,” he noted. He added that his brother supports every youth who reaches the US purely on humanitarian grounds.

The families expressed concern over the growing unemployment in rural areas and expressed gratitude for Rahul's visit. Later, Gandhi stopped briefly at the farmhouse of the party's candidate from Gharaunda, Virender Rathore, near the Bastara toll plaza, where he was warmly welcomed by party workers and locals who eagerly took selfies with him.

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– With contributions from agencies