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Congress plans show of strength

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee is all set for a show of strength here this coming Tuesday, which the party leaders here describe as the “final onslaught” on the “outgoing” BJP Government led by Vasundhara Raje. The Congress rally, of which “storming” of the State Assembly forms a part, comes in the wake of a series of rallies organised by other groups -- the ruling party, the Jat community and the Bahujan Samaj Party -- during the past three months.

The mood is upbeat in the Congress camp -- otherwise wary of holding rallies in Jaipur due to its poor organising skills in the city’s surroundings -- in the wake of a pro-farmer Union Budget presented by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday and the turn-out of the farming class is expected to be high. The State unit has invoked the name of the young Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the rally indicating that Rajasthan is going to be one of the first States where the slogan of “Naya Bharat” (New India) is to be tried out.

“This is going to be the biggest party workers’ demonstration prior to the elections in the State. We would place before the people the commissions and omissions of the BJP Government in the past four years,” said PCC president C. P. Joshi talking to journalists.

“The BJP Government has no credibility left with the people. The Raje Council of Ministers is a divided house. Even the announcements the Chief Minister made in the State Budget do not convince people as many of the promises, including the one which sets aside 50 per cent of the seats in the panchayati raj bodies for women, pertain to the future government and not the present one,” said Prof. Joshi.

“As we go to the people, we want to try out the slogan ‘Naya Bharat’ given by Rahul Gandhi, calling the youth of this country. Rajasthan is among the first States to do this,” Prof. Joshi said. “We believe that with 65 per cent of the country’s population under 40 years of age Rahul Gandhi’s concept of young India would have a special appeal,” he said.

Though it has been over a year since Congress president Sonia Gandhi last visited Rajasthan, the present mobilisation, being a protest rally, would not have senior leaders of the party barring AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Mukul Wasnik, and leaders from the State.

The Congress has managed to get permission to hold the rally at Amriton Ka Bagh adjoining the State Assembly premises that are both a boon and challenge. For various reasons, including those of security, the administration had been denying permission to use the venue for public rallies of late. However, the latest show of strength by Ms. Raje on the completion of four years by her government in December 2007 was held at this venue. The challenge before the Congress now is to fill the place, which can accommodate lakhs of people.

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