Rahul Gandhi discusses with Karnataka leaders preparation for next year’s Assembly polls

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday met senior party leaders from Karnataka and discussed the political situation in the state and preparations for next year’s assembly elections there.

AICC general secretary in charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said the party would launch its 100-km ‘Mekedatu Yatra’ in the state from February 27.

The party had stalled the yatra in January because of rising Covid cases and some of its leaders contracting the disease.

Surjewala said the party has also decided to launch a series of agitations highlighting unemployment, price rise, corruption and scams in Karnataka.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi met with many senior party leaders from Karnataka, including the leaders of the opposition in the Legislative Assembly and Council, state unit chief and many other senior office bearers.

“We had a detailed discussion on the state of political affairs in Karnataka. How the (Basavaraj) Bommai government is mired in deep-rooted corruption, it is a 40 per cent tender commission government and how the crypto-currency scam has reached the highest echelons of power and the government being completely mum,” Surjewala told reporters.

He said the Congress also discussed how “misgovernance and maladministration have become the buzzwords of the BJP dispensation in Karnataka and how price rise and complete mal-governance have impacted the state government.

“Consequently the Congress has decided to launch public agitations on each of these facets — unemployment, price rise, misgovernance and maladministration and complete abdication of authority and complete corruption in the government.

“Now that the assembly polls are only 14 months away, those issues as preparations for the elections were deliberated upon,” Surjewala said.

He added that Rahul Gandhi had a free and frank discussion with the leaders and took their suggestions some of which will be implemented in the next few days.