Bhopal: Posters and hoardings depicting images of Congress president Rahul Gandhi dot most roads in Bhopal these days. Many hoardings portray the Congress chief as a Shiv Bhakt. Gandhi is scheduled to undertake a roadshow and address party workers’ convention as part of the official launch of assembly poll campaign on Monday.
An otherwise peaceful MPCC office in Bhopal has remained the hub of hectic political activities during the past few days as the party prepared for hosing the national president as part of a mega show.
The Congress chief will start his roadshow from Lal Ghati area, and after passing through various areas in Bhopal, land at Dussehra Maidan to address the party workers.
Party office-bearers said that leaders and workers of 51 districts would take part in the mega show. The show will commence with a religious ceremony where 11 kanyas (minor girls) will bless Gandhi and put tilak on his forehead, while 11 brahmins would blow the conch shell as part of the tradition.
District administration, too, has made elaborate arrangements ahead of Gandhi’s visit by deploying 3,000 traffic and police personnel. The traffic will remain diverted from 11am to 6pm in the wake of Congress chief’s visit.
The party has asked its cadre to show restraint and bring in supporters in maximum numbers at the party workers’ convention.
Every ticket aspirant has reportedly been asked to bring in 5,000 supporters and in order to keep enthusiasm of the party cadre in check, the party has put up 51 stages, one each in every district on the roadshow route. “Rahul Gandhi is coming to Madhya Pradesh with a wave of change," said Congress Campaign Committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress found itself in middle of controversy as veteran leader Digvijaya Singh’s life-size cut out was missed out at the party workers’ convention. Cut-outs of almost all the prominent leaders found place.
Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi, defending his party, said Digvijay Singh was a senior party leader and his image found place everywhere in publicity material. However, he said he was not sure if Singh’s cut out was missing from the event. On the other side, a regional news channel quoted Singh as saying that he had asked the party not to put up his image.
Many believe that Singh’s omission from party mainstream is a fallout of his relations, which turned sour soon after the party suffered setbacks in states under his charge last year. “The Congress is apprehensive of Digvijaya Singh’s disastrous tenure casting a shadow on polls while leaders like Kamal Nath and Jyotiraidtya Scindia too want to push Singh behind," BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said.
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