NEW DELHI: The Congress will launch an all-out attack on the BJP government over price rise, unemployment and the GST hike on essential items with a big show of strength at Delhi's Ramlila maidan on Sunday.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of party leaders would address the "Mehngai par halla bol" rally.
Party workers from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, besides other parts of the country, would participate in it.
The rally comes ahead of the opposition party's 3,500-km "Bharat Jodo Yatra" from Kanyakumari to Kashmir starting September 7, where Rahul Gandhi will walk across the country highlighting the issues of price rice and unemployment and promoting communal harmony.
The "Bharat Jodo Yatra" is the Congress party's biggest ever mass contact programme, where the party leaders will reach out to the common people at the grassroots level.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are currently out of the country for the former's medical treatment and would not participate in the events.
Rahul Gandhi, who is also abroad currently along with his mother Sonia Gandhi, is set to return by Saturday and will participate in both the mega-events.
Congress has been attacking the government over price rise and unemployment and saying that these are issues of the common people and should be discussed at all forums.
The opposition party is also seeking a solution to the problems of price rise, inflation and unemployment, besides the hike in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on essential items, and want efforts on the part of the establishment to help provide respite to people.
On Sunday, former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is also scheduled to address his first public rally after quitting the party at the Sainik farms in Jammu.
Azad, who was critical of the Congress leadership in his resignation letter, may step up his attack further on Sunday.
The Congress has, however, termed the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister's public utterances against its leadership as "diversionary tactics" initiated at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Adequate security arrangements have been made in and around the Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi in view of the Congress' protest on Sunday, officials said.
The Delhi Police has also issued a traffic advisory on its official Twitter handle, alerting the commuters about road closures on Sunday.
According to police, paramilitary forces will be deployed along with the local police at the venue for the rally and metal detectors will also be placed at the entry points of the ground.
"Due to a protest call by the Indian National congress at Ramlila Maidan tomorrow, some stretches around the venue shall observe road closure," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted on Saturday.
It advised commuters to avoid some stretches that will remain closed due to the rally.
Ranjeet Singh Flyover from Barakhamba Road to Guru Nanak Chowk, Vivekanand Marg (both sides), JLN Marg (Delhi Gate to Guru Nanak Chowk), round about Kamla Market to Guru Nanak Chowk, Chaman Lal Marg, Ajmeri Gate towards Asaf Ali Road and DDU-Minto Road red light point towards Kamla Market will remain closed, the advisory read.
Congress leaders held press conferences in 22 cities across the country early this week and gave a "Dilli Chalo" call for its ''Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally'' at Ramlila Maidan on September 4.
The rally will be addressed by senior Congress leaders, including the party's former president Rahul Gandhi.
In a Facebook post in Hindi, Gandhi had said the biggest problems facing the country today are unemployment, inflation and growing hatred.
Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said the Centre has been "misusing the CBI and ED" to "silence the Opposition" but the party will continue to raise its voice against the rising inflation and imposition of GST on essential food items.
The Congress on Saturday accused the Centre of being "insensitive" to the pain of the common people due to a "back-breaking" price rise and alleged that taxes on almost everything have risen under the BJP government except for corporate tax.
Ahead of Sunday's 'Mehngai par halla bol' rally of the party at the Ramlila Maidan here, party general secretaries K C Venugopal, Ajay Maken and Jairam Ramesh hit out at the Modi government for its "wrong policies" and alleged it was busy "buying MLAs" and toppling governments led by opposition parties instead.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and a host of party leaders will address the rally.
Party workers from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, besides other parts of the country, will participate in it.
The rally comes ahead of the opposition party's 3,500-km "Bharat Jodo Yatra" from Kanyakumari to Kashmir starting September 7, highlighting the issues of price rice and unemployment, and promoting communal harmony.
The party said its workers will continue to raise the issues of price rise and unemployment as a responsible opposition and will take to the streets while fighting for the cause of the common people.
"This government is totally insensitive. You can compare the prices between 2014 and 2022. How the prices of essential commodities have shot up," Venugopal said at the Ramlila Maidan.
The Congress has been raising the issue on the streets, observed a Black Day in August when several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, courted arrest, and pressed for a debate in Parliament on it, he said, adding the government does not have any answers.
"You can feel the pain of the common people due to the insensitivity and bad policies of the union government. As a responsible opposition party, we are taking to the streets against the issue of price rise and unemployment."
"The government is not bothered about these issues and its one-point agenda is only to buy MLAs and topple Opposition governments," he alleged.
Congress general secretary Ajay Maken alleged that the government was only concerned about "benefiting its crony capitalist friends and not the common people" and highlighted that tax on almost everything from food products to essential items, including petrol and diesel, has risen, except for corporate tax which has come down in order to benefit crony friends of the government.
He slammed the government for the high cost of petrol and diesel and its effect on prices of other commodities.
"Lakhs of people will attend Sunday's rally at the Ramlila Ground which is an effort of the Congress party to awaken this sleeping government," Maken said.
"Tax on almost everything has risen under the Modi government, but taxes on corporates have reduced from 30 per cent to 15-22 per cent, only to benefit the crony capitalist friends of PM Modi," he alleged.
Maken also claimed that the rich was turning richer and the poor poorer under the Modi dispensation, and alleged that "friends of PM" are now among the richest people in the world.
Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil said, "This government is working for their friends and not for the common people who continue to suffer due to rising prices, high GST and high unemployment."
Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary said proper arrangements have been made for Sunday's rally which will seek to awaken this "insensitive" government out of slumber.
"Modi ji has only two brothers -- 'mehngai' and 'berozegaari' -- and he has promoted them under his regime. This rally will work towards awakening this government, which is sleeping," he alleged.