Rahul to hold 'padayatra' against price rise in Amethi on December 18

Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hit the streets of Amethi again on December 18 along with his sister and General Secretary of Congress Priyanka Gandhi as part of their party's nationwide protest on price rise, in what is seen as an attempt to energise the cadre ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Rahul will participate in the 'padayatra' as part of 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' that started on November 14 and is scheduled till December 28. Priyanka, who is in charge of the party in UP, will accompany the former Congress president who represented Amethi between 2004 and 2019, before he lost to Union Minister Smriti Irani.

This is the second time Rahul will be visiting Amethi after his shock defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, the first being his thanksgiving visit in July 2019. Rahul's visit comes even as Congress Assembly legislators from Amethi and Rae Bareli have shifted to the BJP.

Party sources said Rahul's visit to Amethi is "significant" and shows the party's "aggression" ahead of the polls. "One should not miss the message. Rahul-ji is doing a 'padayatra' in Amethi. That's a huge message for not only our opponents but to our party men too," a senior leader said.

The initial plan was to hold 'padayatras' for two days, including in Rae Bareli, but finally, it was decided to hold padayatra in Amethi only.

Also Read — Congress fertilised ground for Hindutva: Owaisi objects to Rahul Gandhi's comments on Hindus

The visit will come close on the wheels of Rahul attending a Congress rally in Jaipur against price rise. The party panel to decide on protests headed by senior leader Digvijay Singh had taken up price rise as the first subject to be taken up.

Sources said the panel had recently met and put up before Congress chief Sonia Gandhi a plan for the second phase of the party's agitation programme. DH had on December 11 reported that the second phase of the protest programme starting from January-end will focus on unemployment and selling of national assets.

Sources said the second phase will be announced soon after Sonia gives her approval for the plan submitted by the panel headed by Singh.

Choosing price rise as the first phase of agitation, the panel had felt that there was a need to "expose the gross mismanagement of the economy by the Modi government and make the people aware of the government's insensitivity in addressing the prevalent back-breaking inflation".

"Ordinary people supporting the campaign also have been registering themselves for ongoing Congress Membership drive launched from November 1 through missed calls and other processes. The party has also tried to ensure a discussion on the issue in the ongoing winter session of Parliament," Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: