Rajasthan Cong plans protest march against ‘misuse of funds during PM’s rally’

To highlight the “anti-people policies” of the BJP government in Rajasthan, the Congress will take out a foot march on Monday.

Senior leaders including, party state chief Sachin Pilot and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande will take part in the foot march that will start from the party office in Chandpol and culminate at the Raj Bhavan. The Congress members will also hand over a memorandum to the Governor demanding an inquiry into misuse of public funds during the recent rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a party spokesperson said.

The decision was taken at a state Congress meeting on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Pilot and Pande met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Delhi to discuss the preparations ahead of the assembly elections in the state. The Congress will soon be announcing election committees in the state.

Talking to reporters later, Pilot took a dig at chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s proposed ‘Suraj Gaurav Yatra’ and asked what suraj (good governance) was the BJP talking about when its government has failed on all fronts.

Pilot had earlier called the Raje government a sinking ship that was misusing government machinery and funds for political gains as it has lost the trust of the people.

Gandhi is set to address a rally in Rajasthan next month to give a fillip to the party’s preparations for assembly polls due by the year-end. Gandhi is likely to visit after parliament’s monsoon session, which will start on July 18 and continue till August 10. The date and venue of the rally is being finalized.

The party aims to launch a mass contact drive after the ‘Mera Booth Mera Gaurav’ programmes – aimed at strengthening booth management and connecting with people at last mile – concludes in July. A yatra to counter Raje’s yatra is also in the pipeline, sources said.