Shivakumar said the Congress would welcome all leaders who want to join the protest movement, with Sonia Gandhi expected to join. (File Image: PTI)
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the Congress party will hold a silent protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on July 12 against the disqualification of its leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday said that former Congress President Sonia Gandhi is expected to attend the next meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru on July 17 and 18.
He said that the Congress party would hold a silent protest at the Freedom Park here on July 12 against the disqualification of its leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.
As already announced, there will be a meeting of leaders of all opposition parties (in the country) on 17th and 18th July. All the leaders are going to come. (m) Mallikarjun Kharge (AICC President) has requested Sonia Gandhi to attend this meeting. We have received a message that she will attend the meeting,” Shivakumar said.
Talking to reporters here, he said, “We will welcome all those leaders who want to join this great movement of change in this country.” It took place on 23 June in Patna, Bihar.
Earlier, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had said that the next meeting of the opposition would be held in Bengaluru on July 13-14. As those dates were said to clash with assembly sessions in some states, it was rescheduled to July 17 and 18.
Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress president, said the party under Kharge’s leadership has decided to hold silent protests at all state headquarters on July 12 against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.
He said, “I do not want to speak about the court’s decision, but we condemn the political conspiracy going on against Rahul Gandhi to eliminate him politically.”
Shivakumar said that the protest will be held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru from 10 am to 4 pm by covering the face with a black cloth.
Shivakumar said all office bearers of the party including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, public representatives and a large number of workers would participate in the protest against the conspiracy of the BJP government at the Centre.
After the Gujarat High Court refused to stay his sentence in a 2019 defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over his Modi surname remark, the Congress has said it will approach the Supreme Court and alleged that the government is using new methods to silence his voice. Looking for techniques.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,