2-2.5 lakh people expected in Congress farmers rally tomorrow

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) Around two to 2.5 lakh people are expected to participate in the Congress rally tomorrow to express thanks to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Rs 60,000 crore waiver of loans for farmers across the country, official sources today said.

The rally, to be organised at Delhi's Ramlila maidan, would be addressed by the Congress president, the Prime Minister, Central Ministers, Congress Working Committee members, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, members of the Council of Ministers in Delhi, Pradesh Congress Committee members, party MPs as well as MLAs.

Talking to UNI here, chief of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Jai Prakash Agarwal said, ''Farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will participate in the rally, which is being organised to express our thanks to Ms Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the massive Rs 60000 crore waiver of loans affected in the Union Budget for 2008-09 unveiled by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Parliament on February 29.'' Coming as it does in an year when polls to the Delhi Legislative Assembly are scheduled to take place, the rally is being seen as an electioneering exercise aimed at cashing in on the euphoria generated by the massive waiver for farmers loans announced in the Budget.

Massive hoardings have been placed in every nook and corner of the city in the run up to the rally, which political observers feel is an attempt by the Congress to indulge in a show of strength in wake of the successful dalit rally in the capital by the Bahujan Samaj party supremo Mayawati a few weeks ago.

UNI AR RJ RK1708