The untimely rains and unpredictable climate have cast clouds on the visit of AICC General Secretary and Youth Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to the city scheduled on March 26. Only one day is left for his arrival, and the organisers are still inconclusive over the actual timetable, programmes and venues.
Though the organisers say that the details including the venue are not revealed due to security reasons, they themselves admit that “nothing is in their hands”. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Youth Congress General Secretary from New Delhi Akhil Chadda said the venues could be made public just 4-5 hours before the events.
Though the local organisers claim that over 50,000 party admirers would participate in the public meeting, they do not have an answer for the question how they would manage such a huge number of audience, if venue is announced in a short interval.
Mr Chadda said Mr Gandhi would spend one hour with as many as 1,800 selected students and also with a group of fishermen for about 90 minutes. Whatever may be the programmes, he (Rahul Gandhi) has to leave Mangalore by 4.30 pm to Hubli through a special helicopter, Mr Chadda added.
‘Not for polls’
Answering a question, he said as the total programme had been planned long back, it could not be linked with the forthcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka. “Mr Gandhi is travelling throughout Karnataka just to have a knowledge of the rate of implementation of various schemes meant for the youth, and a grassroots level understanding of the situations,” he justified.
However, Mr Chadda said, as every activity of the people in the political scenario has a political angle, one cannot deny such an angle in this case too; but political mileage is not the main objective. DK District Youth Congress President Bondala Jagannath Shetty said the possible venue for the public meeting is Nehru Maidan, and the one for students meet is Dr T M A Pai International Convention Centre. However, he said, the venue would be finalised by the security advisors of Mr Rahul Gandhi in consultation with the Superintendent of Police.
Minority committee
In a separate press meet, DK District Congress Minority Committee President B A Moideen Bava said the organisation was trying its level best to see that large number of youth gather for the occasion.
