BELAGAVI/BENGALURU: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is set to launch a blitzkrieg against the Union government’s demonetisation drive for the first time, south of the Vindhyas, during a rally in Belagavi on Saturday. The ruling Congress has chosen the same venue for Mr Gandhi’s event – the district stadium – where PM Narendra Modi had addressed a rally a few days after demonetisation. Soon after his rally in Belagavi, a six-member committee comprising top leaders of the party would begin its country-wide campaign against demonetisation, Congress sources said.
Sources said district in-charge minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has promised to mobilise one lakh people for the rally. Besides, each legislator from the region has been told to arrange 200 vehicles to ferry people to the rally, with state leaders pulling all stops to make it a show of strength. KPCC president G. Parameshwar and working president Dinesh Gundu Rao are in Belagavi to oversee preparations. With north Karnataka reeling under a drought, Congress workers are worried they may not be able to mobilise the crowd necessary for the public rally to be addressed by All India Congress Committee Vice-President, Rahul Gandhi in Belagavi on Saturday.
According to party sources each legislator from the region has been instructed to arrange 200 vehicles to ferry people to the rally. But with farmers here struggling to survive a drought, the response may not be as much as expected, they fear. While Belagavi district-in-charge minister, Ramesh Jarkiholi is said to have promised to mobilise a crowd of around one lakh, party insiders don’t think he will be able to arrange for more than 30,000.
As Belagavi is one of the cities Mr Rahul Gandhi has selected to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the demonetisation issue, the party is doing everything it can to make the event a grand success. Both KPCC president, Dr G Parameshwar and working president, Dinesh Gundu Rao were present in the city to oversee arrangements for the rally. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who will participate in the meeting, is likely to reach Belagavi Saturday morning.
