New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is betting on the Tribal-dominated region of Rajasthan to swing the party’s prospects and is likely to announce a charter for the forest dwellers when he will launch the poll campaign on August 9 from Mangarh in Banswada.
“Rahul ji will address a big rally in Mangarh in Banswada area on August 9. The area is tribal-dominated and our leader will address the community members on the Adivasi Day,” AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan SS Randhawa told ETV Bharat.
The August 9 rally is Rahul’s first visit to Congress-ruled Rajasthan after his Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through the poll-bound state last year. The visit of the former Congress chief is also significant as it is coming after a truce was worked out between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot recently.
Randhawa has instructed both Gehlot and Pilot besides state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara to organize a grand rally in Mangarh which is being billed as the launch of the Congress campaign for the assembly polls to be held later this year. Banswada and the surrounding regions come under the Tribal sub-plan area which has 18 assembly seats where Adivasis are the dominant community.
Of late, Rahul has been slamming the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh over atrocities against Adivasis in the poll-bound state and also in north-eastern Manipur. According to party insiders, Rahul is expected to announce a charter for Adivasi welfare which will be implemented if the Congress retains power in Rajasthan and may direct the state government to take interim measures to address the concerns related to the community.
“The issues of Tribals are close to the former party chief. He is expected to attack the BJP over the atrocities against the Adivasis during the Mangarh rally,” AICC secretary in charge of Rajasthan Qazi Nizamuddin told ETV Bharat. “The message that will be given at the Mangarh rally will travel across Rajasthan and also to neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which too have sizable Tribal populations,” he said.
Party veteran Madhusudan Mistry, who has been named senior observer for Rajasthan recently by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, recalled how a similar charter for the Adivasis announced by Rahul ahead of the 2022 Gujarat assembly polls had been appreciated by the community in the western state which borders Rajasthan’s southern parts.
Accordingly, the party managers will also line up key leaders from the tribal groups who may get a chance to interact with Rahul ahead of the Mangarh rally. Besides the party’s focus on the marginalized sections of society, the former Congress chief is also expected to flag the unity factor in the state team ahead of the assembly polls.
“The Gehlot-Pilot issue is over. Both the leaders are making positive noises in public as well as in private meetings. This would certainly help but still, the state unit needs to be reminded of the teamwork down to the booth level that is needed in a crucial election like this,” Qazi added.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi embodies empathy and understanding: Takes Bharat Jodo Yatra to Azadpur Mandi
