Sonia Gandhi to address nav nirman rally in Kanpur

Kanpur, Aug 8: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address here this afternoon the 'nav nirman' rally, which is being seen as the party's launch of its campaign for the 2007 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

This is for the first time in the recent past that Ms Gandhi would address a rally outside Rae Bareli, her parliamentary constituency. Her son and Congress MP from Amethi Rahul Gandhi would accompany her.

Though she has constantly targeted the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government on various issues - power, roads, law and order - this would be for the first time that she would count the State government's ''long list of failures'' on such a bigger platform.

The Kanpur rally, to be held at Phulbagh maidan, comes close on the heels of UP Congress submitting a 'panel' of 200 candidates to the AICC for the Assembly polls, due for early next year. UP has 403 Assembly seats.

On July 31, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had addressed a rally at the same Phulbagh grounds, where he targeted the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre for its anti-youth, anti-poor and anti-farmer policies.

Ms Gandhi's proposed rally is also seen as an acid test for UPCC chief Salman Khurshid. The party has already started making an all-out effort to mobilise a large crowd for the event. The rally would also be a test for Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal, who is the local MP from the town.

Besides Mr Khurshid, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of UP Ashok Gehlot and other senior leaders were busy to make rally a success.

All the leaders of Congress' frontal organisations have been asked to close ranks and put up a good show during the event.

There has been a growing demand from Congressmen that Sonia Gandhi and party MP Rahul Gandhi undertake a state-wide tour before the polls. Before the holy month of Ramzan in September/October, Ms Gandhi is likely to address at least two more rallies in UP.

UNI