Rahul Gandhi extends support to Mamata Banerjee''s Kolkata rally

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 18

Still not back home after his UAE trip, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday wrote a Facebook post extending support to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s opposition rally in Kolkata on Saturday.

Gandhi, who is likely to skip the rally, said he supported “Mamata Di on the show of unity and hope that the opposition can send a powerful message of a united India together.”

The Congress has deputed veteran Mallikarjun Kharge to represent it in the rally led by Banerjee.

In his Facebook post, Gandhi said, “I extend my support to Mamata Di on this show of unity and hope that we send a powerful message of a united India together.”

He said that across India, there were powerful forces afoot, forces that are fanned by the anger and disappointment of hundreds of millions of Indians who had seen through the false promises and lies peddled by the Modi government.

“These forces are moved by the hope of a new tomorrow; a tomorrow filled with the idea of an India in which the voice of every man, woman and child will be heard and respected, no matter what their religion, economic status or region.

The entire opposition is united in our belief that true nationalism and development can only be defended on the tested pillars of democracy, social justice and secularism, ideas that the BJP and Mr Modi are intent on destroying,” Gandhi said, adding that he commended the great people of Bengal who had historically been in the forefront of defending our ideals.

Bengal Congress has been urging the party leadership to maintain distance from Banerjee, who has said across rallies that her party TMC will contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal.