Rahul Gandhi, Amarinder Singh to jointly launch Congress’ ‘Mission Punjab 2017’

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi and Captain Amarinder Singh is set to jointly launch Congress’ ‘ Mission Punjab 2017’ at a mega meeting of state leaders in Chandigarh on April 16. The meeting, in the wake of party expelling dissidents such as Jagmeet Singh Brar, is also designed to showcase the party’s united backing to Amarinder Singh, the de facto chief ministerial candidate, to lead the Congress campaign for next year’s assembly polls.

According to sources, Gandhi’s Chandigarh function will be a major internal exercise in which all district Congress Committee and block presidents from across the state have been asked to attend. Gandhi and Singh will be flanked by AICC representatives Ambika Sonia (chairman of the campaign committee of Punjab Congress) and general secretary in-charge Shakeel Ahmed.

Congress campaign strategist Prashant Kishor will also attend the event and he may also give his inputs for internal deliberations.

The April 16 meeting, which will mark the state Congress’ launch of ‘Mission Punjab 2017’ will be a major strategic exercise where party functionaries from PCC to the DCC and block levels will converge before they spread out to various parts of the states for election preparations. Rahulji, Captain Sahib and other senior leaders will address the indoor meeting,” said a party insider.

There is a possibility of Gandhi and Singh addressing the media after the meeting. The meeting will follow the party’s traditional competitive show of strength on Baisakhi (Wednesday), vis-a-vis Akali Dal and AAP, in Bathinda for which Congress has invited JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar to share the stage with Singh.

The launch of Congress’ ‘Mission Punjab 2017,’ nine months ahead of the assembly polls indicates that Congress is leaving no stone unturned to win the state, after realising the challenge to the party from the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP. It is this realisation that has prompted the Congress campaign strategists to ask Singh to begin is campaign quite early.