Rahul Gandhi, Kharge reach Odisha to attend 'Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh'

Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reached Odisha on Friday to attend the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh’ here and other party programmes, officials said.

They were accorded a warm welcome by the party’s state leaders and workers at the airport here.

Gandhi and Kharge travelled seven kilometres from the airport to reach the meeting venue at Baramunda Ground.

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Rahul Gandhi, Kharge to address rally in Bhubaneswar on Friday Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with LoP in the Lok Sabha and party leader Rahul Gandhi, and party leader KC Venugopal upon their arrival at the Bhubaneswar airport. (Image: X/INCIndia) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with LoP in the Lok Sabha and party leader Rahul Gandhi, and party leader KC Venugopal upon their arrival at the Bhubaneswar airport. (Image: X/INCIndia)

They were welcomed by all the senior leaders of the party, including Congress state unit chief Bhakta Charan Das.

This is Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to Odisha after the BJP formed its maiden government in the state last year.

He had visited the state during the election campaign in 2024.

All the party MLAs, Congress’ MP Saptagiri Ulaka, former chief ministers, PCC presidents, ministers and many others were present in the meeting venue as Gandhi and Kharge reached there.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das said the party’s general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal would also be present at the programme.

“Usually, Gandhi addresses such mega public events in Odisha ahead of elections. However, this time, he is set to address a public meeting when no election is in the near future,” Das said.

The police issued a traffic advisory to commuters in view of the Congress rally in the city and expect heavy congestion on the stretch from Airport Square to Jaydev Vihar Square.

Meanwhile, a drivers’ association, which has been holding a cease work demanding welfare measures for its members, announced that it would relax its protest in view of the Congress rally.

Drivers’ Mahasangha president Prashant Menduli said the association members will not stop any vehicle going to Bhubaneswar to participate in Rahul Gandhi’s rally.

Expressing concern over the ongoing strike by drivers of buses, trucks, taxis, autorickshaws and other commercial vehicles in the state, Das alleged, “The state government has hatched a political conspiracy so that the cease work continues. Due to their conspiracy, the people of the state are facing difficulties as transportation of essential commodities has been affected.”

Odisha’s Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, in a social media post, said that there is no need for protest by drivers as discussions have already been held to address all the demands of the association.

“Supporting the Congress rally, scheduled for the 11th July, and suspending the protest for a day shows that politics has crept into the movement. Do not mislead innocent drivers in the name of protests. I urge the driver brothers to refrain from the protest,” Jena said on X.

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