Mumbai: The Mumbai unit of the Congress has booked an entire train to ferry party workers for its president Rahul Gandhi's April 29 rally in Delhi. The 'jan aakrosh' (public anger) rally of Gandhi is seen as the virtual launch of the Congress' campaign for next year's Lok Sabha polls.
The train will be flagged off from Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal on Friday by Nirupam who said over 1200 Congress workers are expected to travel by it. It will reach Delhi in the early hours of April 29.
Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam told PTI that the party unit has booked an 18-coach train and will call it 'Rahul Gandhi Super Fast Express'. "This effort is to mobilise party workers and to ensure maximum participation from the Mumbai city because a large number of citizens of Mumbai as well as the country are extremely upset with BJP's anti-commoners policies," he said.
Moreover, each coach will be named after national icons like Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr BR Ambedkar, Indira Gandi, Rajiv Gandhi, Savitri Bai Phule, Nirupam further said.
"This will not only help in remembering our great personalities, but also help in better coordination among the members during the travel. The same train will return from Nizamuddin railway station the same evening," he said.
However, PTI reported that when contacted, a Central Railway official said private entities can book trains but the name of a train cannot be changed.
Meanwhile, the Congress is going all out to make the rally a success.
Attended meeting of @INCHaryana with senior leaders Sh Kamal Nath, Sh Ashok Tanwar, Kumari Shelja, Ms Kiran Choudhary and Sh Deependra Hooda along with other senior leaders for the preparation of upcoming National level Rally on 29th April at Ramlila Maidan. pic.twitter.com/y7mmwEyGuI
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 17, 2018
Preparation meeting for #JanAkroshRally on 29th April 2018 with Sh. PC Chacko, Sh. Ajay Maken, Smt. Shiela Dikshit and senior leaders of DPCC in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/XvSrkDgFhl
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 25, 2018
On the other hand, earlier on April 23, 2018, the twin burning issues of Dalit rights and women's safety were at the centre of Rahul's attack on PM Narendra Modi at the launch of the Congress party's 'Save the Constitution' campaign. He had asserted in an address at the Talkatora Stadium that constitutional values had been endangered under the present government and had assured the people that his party would not let that happen.
Institutions such as the Supreme Court were being trampled on and Parliament had been shut down by the government, the Congress chief had alleged and had claimed that if he was allowed to speak for 15 minutes on a host of issues, including the Nirav Modi scam, the PM would "run away".
He had said that while PM Modi often claimed that India's global standing had improved under his government, the reputation of the country built over decades of Congress rule had "in fact taken a beating" in the last four years.
Rahul had also alleged that institutions were being packed with people who believed in the RSS's ideology.
(With Agency inputs)
