New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will campaign for the party across south India over the next few days and will address rallies in Telangana’s Mancherial on April 14, a party event in Bengaluru on April 15, and a rally in Kolar on April 16. The rally in Telangana’s Mancherial on April 14 is being organised as part of the ongoing padayatras of state unit chief Revanth Reddy and CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka as well as the Jai Bharat Satyagraha that the party has launched across the country against the targeting of Rahul Gandhi by the BJP.
As April 14 is also the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, a Dalit icon and the architect of the Constitution, the visit of Kharge is expected to give a strong message to the voters ahead of the Assembly polls later this year. “The Mancherial rally is going to be a massive one. The Congress president’s address will send a strong message to the voters. It will encourage our leaders and workers, who are slogging for the success of the foot marches,” AICC in-charge Telangana Manikrao Thakare told ETV Bharat.
“We are confident that the foot marches of our leaders will bring a change in the state. Besides, the Congress has also been running a save the Constitution campaign in Telangana and in other states to corner the BJP,” he said. Since Kharge, a Dalit leader, took over as the President of the Congress on October 26, 2022, party managers have been highlighting that his election shows that a person from a marginalised background can rise through the ranks in the grand old party and assume the top post.
Since taking over as party chief, Kharge has also asked the state leaders to mobilise the Dalit voters across the country in a planned way. The first public meeting that Kharge had attended after becoming party president was in Hyderabad where the veteran had shown his aggressive streak and attacked both the BJP and the ruling BRS.
“The BRS works only to help the BJP. We will fight both in the state. We wanted to link the Mancherial rally with the spirit of the state yatras,” said Thakare, who is supervising the arrangements for the mega public meeting. Kharge, who belongs to Karnataka, is expected to reach Bengaluru on April 15 where he is likely to review preparations for the May 10 polls, along with senior state leaders.
On April 16, Kharge will share the dais with Rahul Gandhi, who will address a massive rally in Kolar. After the rally, Kharge is expected to inaugurate the new party office in Bengaluru. “Kharge is our most respected leader. His elevation has been a matter of pride not only for the people of Karnataka, but from across the country. He has served the state for four decades and is regarded by the voters. His presence during the ongoing campaign will charge our workers. We have been trying hard to implement his instructions related to the May 10 polls,” senior state leader Prakash Rathod said.
