Rahul Gandhi in Bhopal today to thank farmers; poll drums roll

BHOPAL: AICC president Rahul Gandhi will reach Bhopal on Friday evening and head straight to the Jambooree Maidan by helicopter for the state Congress farmers' rally.
"The programme in Jambooree Maidan will roughly be for two hours. The Congress national president is scheduled to reach the venue by 2:15 pm," said Rajeev Singh, state Congress general secretary (administration)."The detailed itinerary of the visit will reach us by Wednesday evening," he said.
Asked if Rahul Gandhi will distribute farm loan waiver cheques to farmers on the day like he did in Chhattisgarh, the state Congress office said that may not be possible at the Bhopal rally. State leaders argued that the AICC president’s visit is totally a party affair and the government has been kept aloof.
“Farm loan waiver is being implemented by the state government whereas the farmers’ rally is a state Congress function. Chief minister Kamal Nath has instructed that the party function is not to be mixed-up with the government. So far as we know, farm loan waiver cheques will be handed-over to beneficiaries from February 22. And that will be started by chief minister Kamal Nath at a special function,” Singh said.
State PCC claimed that all bills of Rahul Gandhi’s function are being footed by the party organisation and not the government. “Unlike the previous BJP government, Congress party does not project its leaders with money from the state exchequer,” state PCC media committee chief Shobha Oza said.
A day before the Jambooree Maidan rally, Rahul Gandhi has called a meeting of all national general secretaries and state in-charges on Thursday at 4:30 pm at 24, Akbar Road party headquarters to discuss and review preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha.
And the day following the Jambooree Maidan function, Rahul Gandhi has called a meeting of all PCC chiefs and Congress legislative party leaders for a meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.