Back in action after his foreign vacation, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday held a series of meetings with party leaders including those from poll-bound Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to finalise the tickets of the remaining constituencies. Rahul also took stock of preparation for the party’s national convention — Jan Vedna Sammelan-to be held on on Wednesday to highlight issues related to demonetisation. Rahul is likely to preside over the convenstion.
Party chief Sonia Gandhi met Rahul at his residence so did his sister Priyanka Gandhi. Punjab PCC chief Amarinder Singh was among the leaders who met the Congress vice-president who participated in the Central Election Committee meeting for Punjab.
Rahul, just back from an 11-day vacation abroad, is now likely to cancel his scheduled visit to China next week amid criticism that he has been away holidaying while his party prepares to fight crucial elections in five States.
The Congress vice-president along with senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had planned to lead a party delegation to China on the invitation of the central party there - Communist Party of China. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that a Congress delegation will go to China but it is “not finalised” whether Rahul Gandhi will go.
The Congress leadership is trying to catch up with the election-related issues, especially finalisation of party candidates.
Amrinder Singh said that cricketer-turned-politician Navjyot Singh Sidhu will be joining the Congress in a day or two and the party has already offered the Amritsar-East seat either to him or his wife who is currently the MlA there. “Since nominations have to be filed soon, Sidhu has to join the Congress sooner than later,” Singh said.
Punjab leaders where the Congress is fighting to come back to power after 10 years, have been eagerly awaiting the return of Rahul Gandhi so that the party could finalise its candidate list in 40 constituencies yet to be declared.
The national convention is likely to see the participation of all the national leaders including Sonia, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, regional leaders and office-bearers of the Congress. “We will highlight every decision of the Government which is neither in favour of the country nor the citizens,” said AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala.
Surjewala dismissed the criticism as an attempt by political rival the BJP to deflect attention from what the Congress leader called its Government’s “failure to implement demonetisation.”
“The BJP is jittery as Rahul Gandhi has personally exposed the corruption of Modi. They attack Rahul because he has exposed them,” Surjewala alleged. The Congress said that the Gandhi scion will hit the ground with Jan Vedna Sammelan to bring out demons of demonetisation.
Two years ago, Rahul had been pummeled by critics over a 56-day sabbatical that he had taken, missing a significant portion of that year’s Budget session of parliament.