On the grand old party's 139th foundation day, Congress kickstarted its poll campaign ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections with its mega rally 'Hain Tayyar Hum' in Maharashtra's Nagpur city.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Maharashtra's Congress general secretaries and other senior party leaders.
While addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, “It will be a historic moment for the people of the country.”
Message for BJP
According to Patole, through today's rally in Nagpur, the Congress aims to disseminate a message of change to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
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.
All about the rally
According to party leaders, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will address the rally.
Elaborate preparations have been made 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.
He claimed 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, a message of change will be given by resolving to bring down the tyrannical and arrogant government of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he said.
Patole claimed the BJP was misusing the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax Department to suppress opposition voices.
“They (opposition leaders) are being intimidated. Over 100 MPs are suspended for questioning the security breach at Parliament. 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 added.
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.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, addressing a rally in Nagpur on the 139th foundation day of the Congress, urged party members to dedicate the next 100 days to working towards forming a Congress-led government at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls scheduled for the first half of 2024.
In a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reddy expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of Modi's governance, likening it to expired medicine. He labeled the BJP's "double engine government" as "Adani-Pradani," suggesting a close association between the Prime Minister and industrialist Gautam Adani.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu defended the Congress, highlighting the sacrifices made by leaders Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi for the nation. Sukhu credited the Congress for the transformation from a time when not even a needle was manufactured in the country under Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership to the present, where everything from needles to aircraft is produced.
Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar criticized the BJP, likening its political strategy to that of a pickpocket who diverts attention by falsely accusing others. Kumar accused the BJP of deliberately tarnishing the Congress's image in the eyes of the public.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole voiced concerns about the impact of BJP policies on the youth, laborers, and the aspirational class. He asserted that the Congress is prepared to protect the country from what he perceives as threats to the constitution posed by the BJP government.
