india

Updated: Jan 09, 2019 07:38 IST

Congress president Rahul Gandhi will kick off the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign at the Kisan rally in Jaipur on Wednesday, said Avinash Pande, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Rajasthan.

“Gandhi will sound the poll bugle for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Jaipur and will send out a message for the country that the promise made by him to the state and farmers has been fulfilled,” Pande told reporters at Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium, the venue of Wednesday’s public meeting.

According to police, the Congress president will address the rally at 12.30pm. “He will fly from Delhi around 11.10am and will return around 2.30pm,” said an officer who is part of the security management for the visit.

Congress state unit president Sachin Pilot said the Kisan rally is being held in Jaipur as the promise made by Gandhi was fulfilled by the government in two days.

“PM Narendra Modi government has been cheating the public for the past four-and-half years by failing to fulfil promises,” Pilot said.

Pilot said thousands of people are expected to attend the rally to express their gratitude to the Congress party for farm loan waiver. “The central government will be questioned on its promises when the Congress waived farm loans immediately after forming governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh... farmers were committing suicide but no steps were taken to give relief,” he said.

“Five years of hardship is over. I am confident the way Congress won the by-elections in two Lok Sabha seats; 23 more will be won, for which the campaign will begin on Wednesday. It should not be forgotten that Gandhi launched the poll campaign on August 11 and on January 9 also, the announcements made from here will echo across the country,” said Pilot.

On the Union cabinet move to provide 10% reservation to economically weaker sections in general category, he said: “Our government in Rajasthan proposed 14% reservation to the upper class around 20 years ago. They kept sleeping for four-andhalf years and now that the BJP is losing in the state, they are giving 10% reservation. If you want to provide quota, give but where are the jobs and opportunities? Yesterday (Monday) alliance parties of Assam left the NDA. Parties supporting them are leaving it and by the time of Lok Sabha elections, it will be left alone.”

BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said in Rajasthan, Congress had their government for long but it was the BJP that waived farm loans up to ?50,000 for the first time.

“Congress loan waiver is a mere announcement as the committee constituted have not come out with any decision. The eligibility is not clear nor there is clarity over budget. They are holding a rally without doing anything, it would have been if they had organised it after waiving the loan,” he said.

Pareek said the BJP will come to power again in the Centre. “The results of the recently held pancahayat by-elections has shown people’s faith in the party,” he said.