Kharge, Sonia to attend Congress rally in Nagpur on December 28; party to give message to defeat BJP: Nana Patole

Kharge, Sonia to attend Congress rally in Nagpur on December 28; party to give message to defeat BJP: Nana Patole

The Congress is all set to kickstart its campaign for next year's Lok Sabha elections with its mega rally 'Hain Tayyar Hum' to be held in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on December 28, the party's 139th foundation day.

"It will be a historic moment for the people of the country," Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on December 27 said addressing a press conference at the venue of the event. The party will give a message of change to defeat the BJP at the Centre, he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will address the rally, according to party leaders.

The mega event assumes significance as it will be held in Nagpur, where the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) headquarters and 'Deekshabhoomi', the historic place where Dr B R Ambedkar embraced Buddhism, are located.

"The rally, with the theme 'Hain Tayyar Hum' (we are ready), will send a good message throughout the country. The Congress will sound the bugle for the Lok Sabha polls due next year," party MLA from Nagpur Nitin Raut told PTI on December 26.

Hectic preparations are underway for the mega rally at Dighori in Nagpur where lakhs of people and Congress workers will attend the event, as per party leaders.

"Whenever the country faced trouble, the Congress pitched in and a big change took place in the country," Patole told reporters at the venue of the event.

He said the country's democratic system, Constitution and all the four pillars of democracy are under threat. "It is the responsibility of the Congress party to keep these systems intact," he said.

"On the foundation day of the Congress tomorrow (Thursday) in Nagpur, a message of change will be given by resolving to bring down the tyrannical and arrogant government of the Bharatiya Janata Party," he said.

After the Emergency, (the then prime minister) Indira Gandhi held a public meeting in Nagpur and the Congress then won all the seats from Vidarbha, he said.

"History will repeat in Nagpur and a big 'parivartan' (change) will take place in the country," the Congress leader said.

Patole said the country united under the Congress to get freedom from the British.

"The sacrifice of thousands of freedom fighters forced the tyrannical British to leave the country. The contribution of Maharashtra to the freedom movement is huge. Today again the battle to save the country is being called from Maharashtra," he said.

In 60 years of Congress in power, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh, all of them strived to make India a superpower, Patole said.

"But unfortunately in the last 10 years, the Bharatiya Janata Party government has taken the country to its lowest point. In the name of caste-religion, the country has been led to decline by creating communal tension," he alleged.

Patole said the BJP is misusing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax Department to suppress opposition voices.

"They are being intimidated. Over 100 MPs are suspended for questioning the Parliament security breach. But the Congress is not scared of such action. Just as the world's most powerful British were forced to leave the country, we will make this dictatorial BJP sit at home as well," he claimed.

While inflation, and problems of farmers, workers and youth have become serious issues, the government systems are under siege, he alleged. "The battle of the Congress is to save the country which is going through a difficult situation and the Congress guarantees that it will save the nation," he added.

Patole also said that Rahul Gandhi will embark on the 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' from Manipur in the east to Mumbai in western India from January 14.

Congress MLA Raut said the party has chosen Nagpur for the rally due to its ideology and thinking.

On one hand, there is the RSS ideology, and the other hand is the ideology of Constitution's architect Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar which is aligned with the ideology of the Congress, he said.

The public will certainly go along with the slogan of the Congress and the rally will sound the bugle for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Raut added.

Maharashtra Congress working president and former cabinet minister Naseem Khan said the Congress has given the slogan of 'Hain Tayyar Hum' to fight for protecting the country's democracy.

The Congress led a fight before 1947 for the country's independence and the Congress is now going to sound the bugle for the next fight to save democracy, he said. PTI CLS MR GK NR