Highlights
- Rahul Gandhi attends mega 'Halla bol' rally against price rise in Delhi
- Congress gave "Dilli Chalo" call for its ''Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally'' on September 4
- Party leaders said they will continue to raise its voice against rising inflation
Congress 'halla bol' rally: Slogans of “Rahul Gandhi Zindabad” and “Sonia Gandhi Zindabad” reverberated through the air on Sunday as thousands of Congress supporters reached the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi to raise their voice against price rise and unemployment. Many Congress workers, who came to attend the 'Mehngai Par Halla Bol' rally, put up banners demanding Rahul Gandhi to once again lead the party. Rahul had resigned from the top post following the party's debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Sonia Gandhi has been leading the party as interim president since August, 2019.
The rally comes ahead of the opposition party's 3,500-km 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, starting September 7, highlighting the issues of price rice and unemployment, and promoting communal harmony.
Adequate security arrangements have been made in and around the Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi in view of the Congress' protest. The Delhi Police has also issued a traffic advisory on its official Twitter handle, alerting the commuters about road closures on Sunday. According to police, paramilitary forces have been deployed along with the local police at the venue for the rally and metal detectors will also be placed at the entry points of the ground.
"Due to a protest call by the Indian National congress at Ramlila Maidan tomorrow, some stretches around the venue shall observe road closure," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted on Saturday. It advised commuters to avoid some stretches that will remain closed due to the rally.
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Congress leaders held press conferences in 22 cities across the country early this week and gave a "Dilli Chalo" call for its ''Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally'' at Ramlila Maidan on September 4. The rally will be addressed by senior Congress leaders, including the party's former president Rahul Gandhi. In a Facebook post in Hindi, Gandhi had said the biggest problems facing the country today are unemployment, inflation and growing hatred. Just before the rally, he targetted PM Modi saying 'king' is only ensuring profit to his friends while the public today has to think ten times before buying even the essential things. Blaming PM Modi for the price rise, Rahul Gandhi said he and his party will continue raising voices against inflation. "The king will have to listen," he tweeted.
Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said the Centre has been "misusing the CBI and ED" to "silence the Opposition" but the party will continue to raise its voice against the rising inflation and imposition of GST on essential food items.
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