After experiencing a huge electoral defeat and discomfort over its top leaders' sabbatical, the Congress party foresees its revival in this biggest State by backing the farmers on the controversial land Acquisition Ordinance brought by the NDA government at the Centre. Congress will hold a massive Kisan rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan Grounds on Sunday, which may also kick start its national protest against the land Bill and mark the return of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who was on a sabbatical leave for about two months and had returned earlier this week.
Senior party leaders, State Chiefs, former minister, and office bearers of the Party both at state and centre, along with over 4 lakh people are likely attend the biggest rally in Delhi, the first against Narendra Modi led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. The Beleaguered Congress party had planned to transform the rally into a mega event, hoping to exploit the strong sentiments of farmers against the government over the issue.
Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh are already harping on the success of the Sunday’s rally in New Delhi and had done a massive exercise to garner maximum support as well as biggest turn-out. They also made preparation to launch a massive agitation in the State soon after the above rally and sources said that it would be Rahul Gandhi once again, who would lead the campaign of revival of the Party from the front in this biggest state having maximum number of Parliaments.
The Party had already conducted marches in all the 403 assembly segments in the State to apprise the farmers about the conspiracy of the NDA government at the Centre by amending the land Acquisition Bill. The march, which according to Congress leaders covered more than 3000 kilometers in the State had completed on Friday after which leaders started reaching the national capital to make the agitation Rshistoric’ one. The Congress leaders of the State are also expecting a major push to the agitation under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and it would be a ground work of revival of the Party in UP.
" We are expecting Rahul Gandhi to launch a massive padyatra in the State to aware the rural masses about the pro-capitalists attitude of the Centre," a senior party leader here said. UP Congress President Nirmal Khatri, who participated in the padyatra in the state capital, claimed that situation has turned conducive for the Party and now people are realising the conspiracy of the Union government. " Congressmen who were depressed after the lok Sabha polls in the State are rejuvenated with the agitation on the land acquisition Bill and they were participating in a big way in the programmes," he claimed.
Chairman of the UP Congress Media Committee, Satyadeo Tripathi said,"The Party has done extremely well in previous elections, by introducing 'pro-poor' schemes like loan waiver, NREGA and food security etc and added that the Party workers believe that the present political situation is the right time to bring back its lost glory." He said that the timing of the rally on April 19, just a day before resumption of the budget session of Parliament, will send out a clear message to the public that the Party is not ready for any compromises as far as farmers' rights are concerned.
He said that the campaign for welfare of the farmers has been already taken up be Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had visited Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab along with Rae Bareli and Amethi parliamentary constituencies, to meet the farmers who suffered losses due to un-seasonal rains and hail storms. Tripathi said that it was on Sonia’s written call, that chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, had not just raised the compensation amount but also gave relaxation in the rules by making just 33 percent of damage crop as eligibility criteria to get compensation instead of laid rule of 50 per cent. Besides, Yadav had also given relaxation in quality of wheat for procurement by government agencies on request of Congress president, Tripathi added.