Sonia, Rahul to address Bharat Bachao Rally on Nov 30

Buoyed by reining in the BJP march in Maharashtra and Haryana, Congress leaders are now preparing to launch a broadside against the Modi government by organising a massive rally here on November 30.

Top Congress leaders went into a huddle here to take stock of the protests it had planned in every district against the state of the economy, rising unemployment, agrarian distress and the targeting of Opposition leaders by the Modi government.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and senior Congress leaders will address the 'Bharat Bachao Rally' organised at the Ram Lila Maidan in the national capital.

Congress had announced a well-coordinated district and state-level protest calendar against the Modi government between November 5 and November 15. However, the protests had to be suspended after the Supreme Court announced its verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute on November 9.

“We had to suspend the protests due to prohibitory orders enforced in some districts in the wake of the Ayodhya verdict,” AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal told reporters.

He said the protests organised by the Congress across 60% of the districts so far have received favourable response and the balance 40% districts will be covered by November 25.

“We are getting a sense that there is wide-spread discontent against the Modi government. We need to tell the people that we are capable of providing an alternative,” a senior Congress leader said.

Venugopal also hit out at Union Minister Suresh Angadi for his “insensitive” remarks making light of the economic situation in the country.

“Angadi hails from Belgavi which witnessed heavy rains and large-scale destruction of farms. It does not behove of him to make such insensitive remarks,” the Congress leader said.

Angadi had dismissed Opposition criticism of the government over its handling of the economy. “Airports and trains are full and people are getting married. This indicates that the economy is doing fine,” he had said on Friday.

“Such statements smack of the arrogance of the ministers in the Modi government,” Venugopal said.