FDI rally now on Nov 4; PM, Sonia to address

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi will address a rally here on November 4 to counter the Opposition offensive against FDI in multi-brand retail.

The rally was earlier scheduled to be held on October 28.However, it has been extended keeping in mind the Durga Puja festival, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.

The rally at the Ramlila Ground, seen as part of the Congress' strategy to counter the Opposition offensive against the economic reform measures initiated by the government, will mark the beginning of a campaign by the party on this issue across the country.

Rahul Gandhi is also likely to address the gathering. The event will be attended by chief ministers of Congress-ruled states, PCC chiefs and senior leaders from the organisation and the government.

The decision to hold the rally was taken in the Congress Working Committee meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi last week, which had endorsed the government's economic reform measures with the Congress president hitting out at the BJP for its "negative" politics.

The Congress leadership is likely to use the occasion to explain to the people the benefits of allowing FDI in multi-brand retail and the rationale of other reform measures taken by UPA government "to bring the economy back on rails".