Sonia Gandhi to address farmers' rally at Chakur

Latur (Maharashtra), Oct 28: Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address a farmers rally at Chakur, a tehsil town and hometown of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, near here, tomorrow.

The farmers' rally assumes significance in the backdrop of rising number of suicides by farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada, both economically backward regions of the Maharashtra.

The rally to be addressed by Ms Sonia Gandhi is also politically significant ahead of the elections for the local civic bodies, Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads in the region, where the party was lagging behind the opposition.

The UPA Chairperson, is expected to arrive Chakur from Bidar in neighbouring Karnataka at around 1130 hrs.

Accompanied by Patil and other bigwigs, Ms Gandhi will hold discussions with the party leaders from the state, before addressing the farmers' rally at around 1500 hrs.

MP Rahul Gandhi is expected to attend the farmers' rally along with Ms Gandhi who currently is abroad, the party sources said.

Besides, Mr Patil, Mahrashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, MPCC Chief Prabha Ms Rau are also expecteted to attend the rally.

The Chief Minister will chair a meeting of the party leaders in the presence of Ms Rau and Mr Patil.

Ms Gandhi will visit the proposed training of the Border Security Force (BSF) to be set up at Chakur, before addressing the rally.

The UPA Chairperson is expected to review extensively the implementation of the UPA government's manifesto as well as the important decisions taken by the central government. She will also brief the workers on how they should carry the message to the people during their interaction with them.

UNI