Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress is all geared up to welcome party’s national president Rahul Gandhi, who will be visiting the State for the first time in three years. This will also be Rahul’s first visit to Odisha after taking charge as the president of the grand old party back in December 2017.
As per the itinerary, Rahul will arrive at the Bhubaneswar airport at around 10.45 AM from where he will be escorted by party workers and supporters in a bike rally. Thereafter he is scheduled to attend Samaj’s town hall programme in Mayfair hotel where he will hold discussions with intellectuals. Later in the afternoon, he will address a public gathering at Tomando Mini Stadium.
Rahul will also hold a meeting with officials of HAL and BSNL at the party headquarters in Bhubaneswar.
Talks are doing rounds that the AICC president could sound poll bugle for the party tomorrow. Amid exit of several senior leaders from the party’s State unit, experts said that the visit of Rahul Gandhi bears a lot of significance.
During the occasion, all eyes will be on his comments on several issues like farm loan waiver, unemployment, Odisha’s labour migration and more importantly, his tone towards the ruling-BJD and the BJP.
Party's Odisha in-charge Jitendra Singh said “Party workers are upbeat and thousands of people are coming to Bhubaneswar to listen to Rahul Gandhi. The people of Odisha are looking up to him.”
With the formal induction of Priyanka Gandhi into the party, many Congress leaders also want her to visit Odisha. It is believed that her visit to the State could be a game changer given her striking resemblance with her grandmother Indira Gandhi, who had a tremendous impact in the tribal dominated regions of the State.
AICC member Manisha Tripathy said, “Priyanka Gandhi’s impact will be positive for the party not only in Odisha but throughout the country.”