New Delhi: Challenging the recent decisions of the central government, the Congress on Sunday announced that it will hold a nationwide protest on October 26 over the Hathras rape incident and another protest at the all-party district headquarters on October 31 against the contentious farm laws.

The decision came hours after Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi exhorted party leaders to wage a struggle for people’s issues, noting that democracy was passing through “most difficult times”.

The Congress has been vehemently raising issues and has led several protests against the passage of farm bills, the alleged gang-rape and death of a Dalit girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, the state of the economy and the Narendra Modi-led government’s handling of it.

Notably, the call for agitation against the BJP-led Centre comes ahead of the crucial Bihar Assembly elections as well as key bypolls in various states, including in 28 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh.