The Congress organized a massive rally in Gwalior, the home turf of former Congress leader and now Union Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Friday. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi addressed the gathering and announced several sops for the forthcoming Assembly elections. Having already held rallies and made poll announcements in the other poll-bound states—Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
The Congress is optimistic about retaining the former and aiming to wrest power from the BJP in the latter. Priyanka Gandhi's political acumen has been credited with securing impressive wins for the party in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
Priyanka reiterated the Congress' five guarantees, including the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees, in the event of a victory in year-end Assembly polls. Addressing the 'Jan Aakrosh' rally in Gwalior, she accused the BJP-led State government of being involved in multiple scams and urged the people to give Congress a strong mandate to prevent any attempts to topple its government. She also criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for politicizing issue of Manipur, referring to his statement on the situation in the state.
Priyanka Gandhi emphasized the need for maintaining political decency and criticized the current culture of allegations and counter-allegations, which she believes sidelines real issues and concerns of people. Stressing importance of 'Satyagraha' or “fight for truth” in India's freedom struggle, she called for leaders who embody decency, simplicity, and easy accessibility, rather than being driven by ego in politics.
Focusing on core issues affecting people, Priyanka Gandhi highlighted impact of price-rise on their lives. She expressed concern about soaring prices of essential commodities, including cooking gas and edible oil, which have made it difficult for ordinary citizens to make ends meet.
Without naming specific individuals, she criticized the Centre for allegedly favoring wealthy businessmen over farmers, emphasizing the need for equitable distribution of the country's wealth.
Reiterating the Congress' five “guarantees,” Priyanka Gandhi pledged the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, affordable cooking gas cylinders, 100 units of free electricity, Rs 1,500 financial aid per month to women, and the restart of loan waivers for farmers if the Congress is voted to power in Madhya Pradesh.
Highlighting the party's track record, she reminded the audience of previous Congress governments in Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Karnataka, where they fulfilled their promises, including the implementation of the OPS.
In a veiled reference to the previous political upheaval caused by Scindia loyalists, she urged the people to give Congress a strong mandate in the upcoming Assembly polls to ensure stability and prevent any attempts to destabilize the government.
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