The proposed rally of the opposition INDIA alliance in the State capital scheduled for the first week of October, has been officially canceled, according to statements made by the State Congress President and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath here on Friday.
While talking to media persons here on Friday, Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala stated thai discussions regarding the rally are ongoing with the Congress President and other INDIA alliance partners. However, no final decision has been reached regarding the new date and venue for the event.
These announcements were made during a press conference in Bhopal, where the leaders discussed the grand old party's state-wide 'Jan Akrosh Yatra' (public anger march) ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state.The Congress party has revealed that seven Jan Akrosh Yatras are set to commence on Ganesh Chaturthi, scheduled for September 19.
These yatras will collectively cover 11,400 kilometers, encompassing all 230 assembly segments of Madhya Pradesh within a span of 15 days. The yatras will be led by esteemed leaders, including veteran Congress leader and leader of opposition (LoP) in the Madhya Pradesh assembly, Govind Singh.
Other prominent leaders who will helm these yatras include former union ministers Arun Yadav and Kantilal Bhuria, Suresh Pachouri, Congress Working Committee member Kamleshwar Patel, ex-MP minister Jeetu Patwari, and former LoP Ajay Singh 'Rahul'.When questioned about the potential Chief Minister candidate if the Congress secures victory in the state, Congress national general secretary in-charge for MP, Randeep Surjewala, gestured towards Kamal Math, who was seated beside him. However, Surjewala noted that the final decision regarding Kamal Math's candidacy would be made by the party's top decision-making body, the Congress working committee (CWC).
Reacting to the development, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that the rally was cancelled due to the public anger over ‘Sanatana Dharma’ remarks by Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, whose party DMK is part of the INDIA alliance.
“The people of MP will not tolerate this insult to Sanatana. Understand that our faith has been attacked. This attack will not be tolerated at any cost. There is public anger, hence the rally was cancelled. People will not let this go,” CM Chouhan said.
As many as 28 Opposition parties have come together to form an alliance named INDIA – an abbreviation of Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance.
According to reports, the leaders agreed to share seats in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir but West Bengal became the bone of contention as TMC is less interested in sharing power with the Left and the Congress.
However, sources have told that the party is also not completely ready to share seats in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where it has a strong base. While no official reason has been given so far, the sources said, Congress feels it has favourable election prospects in Madhya Pradesh, therefore, it doesn’t want joint rallies of INDIA bloc to start from the state.
The party doesn’t want to look weak or in need of an alliance to take on the BJP in the state ahead of the assembly elections, the sources said.
The INDIA alliance has resolved to fight the Lok Sabha elections together “as far as possible” and it is likely that rallies in states where Congress is strong could take place after the Assembly polls are over. Meanwhile, joint rallies could start from states like Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar and Tamil Nadu where Opposition parties are already in alliances with each other.