Congress has secured a leased ground in Indore for Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ after being denied the stadium. The venue row has triggered a fresh Congress-BJP clash over permissions and political intent.
The Congress has leased an alternative venue in Indore for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s upcoming ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme after it was denied permission to use the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. An official of the Indore Development Authority said the party paid Rs 10.08 lakh for a temporary lease of 12,000 square metres of land in front of the Regional Park from September 17 to 19.
Congress leaders accused the BJP of delaying permissions because it was nervous about Gandhi’s visit, while the BJP dismissed the charge and accused the opposition party of propaganda. The programme, which the Congress says has drawn registrations from around 1.5 lakh students, is now scheduled for September 19.
An Indore Development Authority letter to Indore City Congress Committee president Chintu Chouksey said permission for the event would be issued after the funds were deposited and subject to prescribed conditions. The letter also said the organisers would be responsible for security arrangements at the venue and for obtaining no-objection certificates from the relevant departments.
Talking to PTI, Chouksey said, “We have deposited the agreed amount into the IDA’s bank account.” He alleged that the BJP government was nervous about Gandhi’s upcoming event in Indore and, in that panic, had been harassing the Congress over the venue.
“We initially wanted to hold the event at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on September 12, but after not receiving permission, we had to change the date to September 19. We were made to run around for 10 days for the land located in front of the Regional Park,” Chouksey said.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where the Congress had first sought permission for the event, falls under the municipal corporation. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said that under an old order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the stadium can only be used for sports or state-level government events.
BJP state co-media in-charge Alok Dubey said the Congress was indulging in propaganda politics and that the public knows the truth about the party. Taking a jibe at the Congress, he said the name of Gandhi’s event should be changed from “Chhatron Ki Goonj” to “Jhooth Ki Goonj.” The Congress has named the new venue “Bharat Jodo Maidan”.
