NEW DELHI: A week after UPA presented its please-all budget, the Congress party now believes it is time to reap the harvest. It is organising a massive farmers' rally in the capital on Sunday as part of its effort to build on the momentum generated by its decision to waive off Rs60,000 crore worth of farmer loans.
The Congress is pulling out all the stops to ensure that the rally is a success. Though the bulk of the crowd is expected to be from Haryana, all the other state units especially those from states close to the capital have also been asked to ensure a good turnout. Party MPs and MLAs from these states are working overtime to mobilise crowds.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, besides party chief ministers and a few other senior leaders, will address the rally. This is the first of many such rallies the party plans to organise in its bid capitalise on the budget sops. Plans are underway to hold similar rallies at the state and regional level to highlight the UPA government's achievements.
The Congress party's political managers want to sustain the momentum and also involve as large a number of party men as possible into the campaign. AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday began a countrywide tour from Orissa. The tour is being billed as an effort by the party heir apparent but it is also an attempt by him to give his party a leg up in efforts to reach out to the people.
Meanwhile, he also expected to participate in a two-day party meeting of the UP Congress is Kanpur beginning March 30. Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be present on the last day of the meeting. Also expected to attend the two day conclave are about 2,000 Pradesh Congress Committee members and 250 AICC members, including UPPC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi and party in-charge for the state Digvijay Singh.
a_javed@dnaindia.net
