However, Jairam Ramesh said that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the opposition INDIA bloc’s Ranchi rally after his public address in Satna.
“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was scheduled to campaign in Satna and Ranchi where the INDIA Bloc’s ‘Ulgulan Rally’ is being held on Sunday has fallen ill suddenly and is unable to leave New Delhi at present”, Jairam Ramesh posted on X.
“Rahul Gandhi was all set to campaign in Satna and Ranchi today, where the INDIA rally is being held. But he has suddenly fallen ill and cannot leave New Delhi at the moment. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji will join the Ranchi rally after addressing the public meeting in Satna,” Jairam Ramesh added.
The iconic Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi’s Dhurwa is decked up to host the rally, which is the second on the trot by the INDIA block alliance after a mega show in Delhi a few weeks ago in the wake of the arrest of Delhi CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor scam case by the Enforcement Directorate.
Ex-CM and JMM’s working president Hemant Soren too is currently behind the bars post his arrest by ED in land scam cases earlier in January, prompting the incumbent alliance govt to allege political witch-hunting by BJP through the use of central agencies to destablise the non-BJP states.
The rally comes as the country approaches the remaining six phases of the Lok Sabha polls. The first phase of polling concluded on April 19. The four-phased election in Jharkhand, however, will begin from May 13.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the Wayanad District Congress Committee, PM Sudhakaran, resigned from the party and joined the BJP today.
Sudhakaran, who joined the BJP at the election Committee office in Kalpetta in Kerala said that Rahul Gandhi who is the MP from Wayanad is not even accessible to him and asked as how can such a politician be accessible for the common man.
Addressing a function at the committee office, Sudhakaran said, “I am joining the BJP as iam an admirer of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his politics of development. BJP is a party that has more relevance in today’s society. For the development projects of PM Modi to be implemented, K Surendran should be elected as the MP from Wayanad and I will strive towards that. If the people of Wayanad elect state president of BJP, K Surendran, the people of Wayanad are going to benefit out of it”.
Posters of INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party MP Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and his wife Kalpana Soren were seen put up in Ranchi ahead of the mega rally scheduled at Prabhat Tara Ground.
Samajwadi Party National president and UP’s former CM Akhilesh Yadav will also participate in the rally.
Apart from the SP chief, other INDIA bloc leaders will also participate in today’s rally. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP leader Sanjay Singh will join the ‘Nyay Ulgulan Rally’.
(With ANI inputs)