Case pending, Rahul Gandhi defers rally in Kolar to April 9

BENGALURU: Former AICC president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Karnataka on April 5 has now been postponed to April 9 to address a ‘Jai Bharat’ rally. The local unit has already begun preparations for the rally. Rahul was scheduled to visit Kolar, about 70km from Bengaluru, to flag off the party’s ‘Satyameva Jayate’ campaign and address a mega rally.
The party had planned this rally after Rahul was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP and convicted in a defamation suit for controversial remarks on the surname ‘Modi’. The remarks were made at a rally in Kolar ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party had planned to organise over a lakh people for the rally to retaliate and garner sympathy ahead of state assembly elections scheduled for May 10.
Sources in Congress said since Rahul is filing an appeal before the Surat court against his conviction, he has decided to defer the rally, fearing that it may lead to contempt. The rally now has a new name and Rahul’s visit to Kolar has generated plenty of curiosity as it is his second visit to the state after the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. He had earlier campaigned in Belagavi on March 20 and released Cong ress’ fourth pre-election promise which envisages a monthly allowance of Rs 3,000 for two years for unemployed youth between 18 and 25 years of age.