Rahul Gandhi on Monday kicked off campaign for Congress for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh from tribal-dominated Mandla amid a goof-up by the party which put up a banner at the venue of his public meeting featuring the local BJP candidate. BJP has fielded Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste from Mandla (ST) LS seat. He is seeking re-election from the seat in this poll.
The goof-up was spotted by some party men a couple of hours before Mr Gandhi’s arrival at the venue to address a public meeting, prompting them to cover the photograph of the Union minister with that of the local Congress MLA Rajneesh Harvansh Singh, a senior Congress functionary said here, requesting not to be quoted.
Congress spokesman K K Mishra has however dismissed it as a ‘human error’.
Meanwhile, Mr Gandhi was forced to stay back in a private hotel in Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh after winding up his day’s tour to the state when his chopper could not take off due to fuel shortage.
“Mr Gandhi’s chopper could not take off due to fuel shortage. Fuel is being arranged from Jabalpur in the state. Mr Gandhi cannot go to Jabalpur by road (to catch a flight to Delhi) for security reasons. He may have to spend the night in Shahdol”, Shahdol District Collector Prateek Kumar said.
State Congress president Jitu Patwari said that Mr Gandhi would stay back in Shahdol in the night in a private hotel, Surya International, and leave for Delhi from Jabalpur on Tuesday morning.
Earlier, Mr Gandhi addressed two public meetings in Mandla (ST) and Shahdol (ST) LS constituencies which are going to polls in the first phase polling in Madhya Pradesh along with four other LS seats.
Addressing a public meeting at Dhanora under Seoni district which falls under Mandla (ST) LS seat, Mr Gandhi said that tribals were the original ‘owners’ of the lands of the country. He said that Congress always ensured that the tribals exercised their rights.
He said that Congress worked for the welfare of the poor, dalits, farmers and tribals.
Mr Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of working in the interests of only a few rich people in the country.
He pledged that Congress would accord legal cover to the minimum support price (MSP) for different crops if the party staged a comeback to power at the Centre.
Mr Gandhi also promised to dump the Agniveer scheme if Congress formed the government at the Centre.
Madhya Pradesh is going LS polls in four phases on April 19, April 26, May seven and May 13.
