Rahul drive to connect with grassroots

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will begin a first-of-its-kind drive to connect with the grassroots from Mumbai on Tuesday.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi addresses the national convention of OBC department of AICC at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Monday June 11 2018. | PTI

MUMBAI: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will begin a first-of-its-kind drive to connect with the grassroots from Mumbai on Tuesday.

This will be the first drive in over 40 years where the Congress president will directly meet grassroots workers, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) chief Sanjay Nirupam said.

“This is a two-fold drive. In the first ‘off line’ phase, booth-level workers will get an opportunity to meet the Congress president. In the ‘on line’ phase, they will get an opportunity to connect with the party leader through a dedicated number given to them,” he said.

In the first phase, around 15,000 party workers from over 9,500 booths in Mumbai will get a chance to meet Rahul at a special program in Goregaon.

In the second phase called ‘Shakti’, all registered party workers from the first phase will get a specialised video on their phones having a dedicated number. They will have to send their voter IDs to this number, after which they will receive publicity material and instructions on party programs from the party chief.

Even as the grassroots connect drive gets underway, the Congress and the NCP have stressed the need for a ‘grand alliance’ in Maharashtra to counter the BJP. However, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has muddled matters by clubbing the Shiv Sena with the BJP on one occasion and indirectly stressing the need to take the Sena along as part of the grand alliance.