Karnataka: After staying away from campaigning due to health reasons, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address a public meeting in Karnatakas Hubbali on Saturday.
According to Congress sources, this will be her first public meeting in the poll-bound state.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have been aggressively campaigning in the southern state which will go to the polls on May 10.
Sonia Gandhi had joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka’s Mandya on October 6 last year and walked alongside Rahul Gandhi.
She has been staying away from much of the public appearance these days due to health reasons.A
The chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) was admitted in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on March 2 this year for fever.
She had also tested positive for Covid last year in June.
Earlier, BJP leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal had targeted Sonia Gandhi and described her as “vish kanya” and “an agent of Pakistan and China”.
The Congress had condemned the BJP leader’s remarks.
Elections for 224 member-Assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13.
The ruling BJP is facing a stiff competition from the Congress, which has cornered the saffron party on several issues, inlucing corruption.
The Congress released its manifesto on Tuesday and has promised to repeal, within one year of coming to power, “all unjust laws and other anti-people laws” passed by the BJP government in the state.
Congress announced Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity); Gruha Lakshmi Rs 2,000 monthly to every woman head of the family; and Anna Bhagya 10 kg of food grains of their choice (among rice, ragi, jowar, millet) to every person in a BPL family.
It also promisedto take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste or religion.
It said that it will ban any organisation like Bajrang Dal and PFI, if they try to spread hatred.
Meanwhile, the BJP had cornered Congress on its decision to ban Bajrang Dal in Karnataka.
