In the Loktantra Rally Opposition will also highlight he Centre's poor response to the drought in the country
The main Opposition Congress is organising a show of strength, christened 'Loktantra Rally' on Friday. Led by party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, the party MPs and workers will attempt to 'gherao' the Parliament House in protest against toppling of Congress governments and framing of its leaders in corruption cases. The rally will also highlight the Centre's poor response to the drought that has affected half of the country's population.
The party has asked all MPs to be at Jantar Mantar at 9 am sharp for the protest. The party knows that the rally may be cut short due to the ongoing Lok Sabha session. The much-talked AugustaWestland chopper scam will be discussed in Lok Sabha today. The issue was debated in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the Congress Working Committee members members, CLP leaders from the states and leaders of frontal organisations would take part in the "gherao". Every state unit has been asked to send a small contingent for the programme. The task of mobilising large number of party workers to the show has been assigned to the Congress leaders of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh.
The party leaders say, Friday "gherao" will be turned into a public movement across the country to turn tables on the ruling BJP on the Agusta issue to show how a defamatory campaign has been built to cover up failure s of government. Surjewala said the protest against the Modi government was not only for the Agusta scam but also against its attempts to topple the Congress governments, first in Arunachal Pradesh and then in Goa, and on the issues of growing unemployment, escalating prices of essential commodities, severe drought affecting over 40 crore people, rise in farmer suicides and the government's "deliberate lies" on issues of national importance.
While nominated MP Subramanyam Swamy was star speaker on behalf of the BJP in Rajya Sabha, in Lok Sabha, Mumbai's BJP MP Kirit Somaiya is being fielded for a big fight. Over past few days, he has tried to expose Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's top aide Kanishka Singh.
Somaiya tried to corner Kanishka on the basis of the business of his maternal uncle's real estate firm Emaar-MGF that built CWG village on the bank of the Yamuna here, while the Congress dismissed the charge, pointing out that Rahul's aide has nothing to do with the firm. Somaiya tried to point out one of the accused in the AgustaWestland chopper scam was director of the firm.
Somaiya will seek explanation from Rahul on his aide Kanishka having links with a middleman who paid bribes to secure order from the IAF on behalf of AgustaWestland for supply of 12 choppers for the VVIPs. Somaiya said Guido Haschke one of three middlemen was serving as a Director in 2009 for real estate developer Emaar-MGF, promoted by Kanishka Singh's family and a year later Agusta bagged the helicopter deal in 2010.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Parliament")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}