JOIN USHundreds of Congress workers, including union ministers, have gathered at the Ramlila Maidan here Sunday for a mega rally which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi are to address to give a push to the UPA government's economic agenda with the 2014 general elections in mind.
The mega rally coincides with the Himachal Pradesh asembly elections, voting for which began in the morning in the hill state.
The rally in the heart of the capital is expectedto be a clear show of strength at a time when the Congress is under alround attack. Congress chief ministers, state unit chiefs, heads of block and district units, MPs, legislators and leaders of the party's frontal organisations are all expected to attend.
The party will hold an informal review-cum-strategy meet Nov 9 at Surajkund, near Delhi.
The Surajkund meet will be attended by Congress Working Committee members, general secretaries in charge of states, cabinet ministers and ministers of state with independent charge.
At Sunday's rally, the prime minister and Sonia Gandhi are expected to explain the government's recent push for economic reforms, especially the move to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail trade.
The mass rally comes at a time when Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy has accused the Congress of violating law by giving loan to the Associated Newspapers and asked the Election Commission to de-recognise it.
India Against Corruption has also accused Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, and new External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid of corruption.