Rahul Gandhi to visit Gujarat on July 6; to address party workers and meet Rajkot fire victims' kin

Gandhi is scheduled to meet the family members of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat in the recent past, including the Rajkot game zone fire, the boat capsize incident in Vadodara and Morbi bridge collapse.

Ahmedabad: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Ahmedabad city in Gujarat on Saturday, where he will address party workers, a party leader said.

Gandhi will also meet the family members of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat in the recent past, including the Rajkot game zone fire, the boat capsize incident in Vadodara and Morbi bridge collapse.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha is visiting Gujarat days after BJP and Congress workers clashed outside the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) office here over alleged anti-Hindu remarks made by Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Following the clash, complaints were lodged against each other by both the sides and FIRs were registered, leading to the arrest of five Congress workers.

Talking to reporters on Friday, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil said Gandhi will also meet the family members of those five Congress workers who are currently in police custody.

"Rahul Gandhi will arrive at the GPCC office here around 12.30 pm. During his visit, he will meet and address party workers. He will also meet the kin of the victims who lost their lives in the Rajkot game zone fire and other such tragedies. He will also interact with the family members of those party workers who were arrested by the police after the clash," he said.

The clash broke out between members of both Congress and BJP outside the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Congress's state headquarters in Paldi area of the city on July 2 after BJP's youth wing members came there to protest against Gandhi's remarks on Hindus.

According to police, both sides engaged in stone pelting, which injured five policemen, including an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

On July 3, a day after the clash, Ellisbridge police registered two FIRs and arrested five Congress workers, who are currently under remand.

While one FIR was registered by the police themselves against nearly 450 workers belonging to both Congress and BJP, another was registered against Congress workers on a complaint given by the youth wing of the BJP's Ahmedabad unit.