All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice president Rahul Gandhi is visiting Gujarat to address a public meeting at Patel dominated Mahesana town, the epicentre of pro-quota agitation of Patidars on December 21.
Strategically the Congress party has organised a public meeting in the North Gujarat’s biggest city Mahesana. It is worth mentioning that Mahesana is just 90 km from Deesa, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the large gathering of milk producers and farmers on December 10.
Unlike in many parts of the PM’s home-State, Congress is enjoying majority in Mahesana District Panchayat and Taluka Panchyat. According to sources, the focus of the AICC vice-president would be on demonetisation, as he is visiting the State first time after the Centre’s decision to demonetise. Though Modi had come to Deesa to launch a cheese making plant of Banas Dairy but during his speech at a public meeting the main focus was on upcoming good impact of demonetisation.
Assembly polls are slated in Gujarat in the second half of 2017. Unlike previous Assembly polls, the Opposition Congress party is hoping to increase seats in wake of pro-quota Patidar agitation coupled with flogging of Dalit youth in Una town.
Now the Congress party would add one more issue – difficulties people are facing post demonetization.
Sources in the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) informed that top Gujarat Congress leaders including GPCC president Bharatsinh Solanki, leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela along with other senior leader would visit to Mahesana on Thursday in order to do some groundwork ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s public meeting. They would allot responsibility to Mahesana district Congress leaders to make Gandhi’s rally successful as they want at least 2 lakh people to attend the rally to be addressed by AICC vice president.
A senior Congress leader said that input on local issues post demonetization was already given to Rahul Gandhi. local potato and tomato growers are not getting adequate prices, he said, adding that GPCC wants to spread the message nationally about the plight of farmers in Gujarat, he added.