New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s mega rally at Mustafabad in the national capital on Thursday was cancelled due to his poor health and on medical advice, party’s Delhi Chief Devender Yadav said.
“As of now, Rahul Gandhi’s election rally in Madipur on Friday is on schedule and he is likely to address a massive gathering,” said Yadav, a day after the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha failed to turn up for an election rally near Inderlok metro station in Sadar Assembly on Wednesday.
Dismissing speculation that the cancellation of Gandhi’s rallies was aimed at helping the AAP – by not causing a division of Muslim voters – Yadav said, “These are rumours. We are fighting the election independently.”
“After the Republic Day, the party leaders are going to step up the campaign in Delhi,” he said, indicating a busy schedule for Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi in the coming days for campaigning for the Assembly elections.
Alleging a collusion between the AAP and the BJP, Yadav said when the Congress does not hold a rally then the “elder brother” says we are helping the “younger brother” while the “young brother” alleges that “we are not supporting their fight against the “big brother”.
The Congress campaign for the February 5 Assembly election was expected to get a big boost from Gandhi’s three daily rallies on three successive days, starting January 22, but out of these, two have been cancelled.
Gandhi is expected to join the party campaign on Friday with an election rally in West Delhi’s Madipur.
Earlier, announcing Gandhi’s election rally schedule at a press conference at the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office, former Delhi Minister Narendra Nath said that the party’s star campaigner is expected to raise issues affecting the people of Delhi.
He said, apart from “exposing the failure” of the AAP government and the BJP in addressing the ills afflicting the Capital, Rahul Gandhi may also pitch for Dalits to get their dues.
The Congress has failed to win even a single seat in the last two Assembly elections for the 70-member House.
The party’s political drought came after three successive victories in Assembly elections between 1998 and 2008. The result for the current Assembly poll will be announced on February 8.
(IANS)
