New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will flag the party’s 'Save Constitution' slogan, oppose the Waqf property amendment bill and push the demand for caste census to woo the party’s traditional Dalit and Muslim vote banks and influence the backward groups at a mega rally in Delhi on December 1.
The rally to be held at the iconic Ramlila Maidan comes in the midst of the ongoing winter session of parliament and the statewide ‘Nyay Yatra’ being conducted by the Delhi unit to regain lost ground in the national capital ahead of the next assembly elections to be held early next year.
"We are going to highlight the concerns of various social groups. Our party chief Kharge will address the December 1 rally where he is likely to talk about the need to save the Constitution and push for a caste census. He may also touch upon issues like the Waqf property legislation and the way the city residents have been suffering due to the negligence of both the AAP government at the state and the NDA government at the central level,” All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Delhi Qazi Nizamuddin told ETV Bharat.
"The people of Delhi need relief from severe air pollution, dirty River Yamuna, and lack of drinking water supply but all they got was promises. The residents have tried both these parties and it is time that the Congress is brought back," he said.
The Congress ruled the national capital for 15 years consecutively under popular Chief Minister late Sheila Dikshit from 1998 to 2013 when debutant AAP came to power riding over an anti-corruption movement led by activist Anna Hazare.
Since then, the new party took away the traditional vote banks of the Congress based on its aggressive ground-level politics and a host of freebies like free water and electricity. Infighting within the Delhi unit and the confusion within the Congress over aligning with the AAP also contributed to the grand old party’s decline, said party insiders.
As a result, instead of a triangular fight, the battle for Delhi was often seen by the pollsters as a BJP vs AAP contest. The grand old party claims the month-long Nyay Yatra led by Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav will change local politics.
"The situation has now changed. The voters have seen corruption during the AAP rule. Besides, Congress is also changing and trying to revive its connection with the voters. Our Nyay Yatra is getting a good response among the voters," said Qazi, who was given charge of the crucial state just a few days back.
As the new in charge tries to push the Congress in Delhi, he would have to deal with the fallout of the party’s seat-sharing agreement with the AAP to counter the BJP in the national elections despite reservations from the local leaders. Out of the seven Lok Sabha seats the Congress contested three while the AAP fought on four seats. However, the BJP again won all seven seats which resulted in the Congress and AAP parting ways for the 2025 Assembly elections.
"That decision was relevant to the situation then. There is a new situation now and we are trying to make our presence felt," Qazi added.
