'Captain' Rahul Gandhi wants Sidhu at his rallies? Rawat eyes peacemaking with Punjab CM

In a key political development in Punjab, former Uttarakhand CM and Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat met Navjot Singh Sidhu in Amritsar on Thursday. This comes ahead of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's tractor rallies from October 3 to October 5 in protest against the Union Government’s new agriculture laws.

Harish Rawat plays peacemaker between Cong & Sidhu 

According to sources, Rawat tried to reduce the differences between Sidhu and Congress. They informed that even though Sidhu remains separate from the Punjab Congress' protest, he has agreed to participate in Rahul's road-show. The AICC General Secretary called Sidhu at Circuit house in Amritsar and later Sidhu invited him for dinner at his residence. Rawat claimed that he will make it possible that CM Amarinder and Sidhu sit on the table and reduce their differences.

According to a Punjab Congress spokesperson, the tractor rallies are expected to be supported by farmers' organisations and will cover more than 50 km over three days. The rallies are scheduled to begin at around 11 am on each of the three days, and will be conducted amid strict COVID-19 protocols, said the spokesperson.  

On October 3, the protest rally will cover a total distance of 22 km, starting with a public meeting at Badni Kalan (Nihal Singh Wala, Moga), before moving through Lopon (Nihal Singh Wala). The rally will then move into Jagraon (Ludhiana), where it will be received at Chakar, Lakha and Manoke, culminating eventually in a public meeting Jattpura (Raikot, Ludhiana), said the spokesperson.

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On October 4, Rahul Gandhi will travel by car to Bhawanigarh for a public meeting, before embarking on tractors to Samana (Patiala), where receptions will be held at Fatehgarh Chhana and Bahmna, before ending the day with a public meeting at a grain market in Samana.

While Sidhu and Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh have been at loggerheads for a long time now, Sidhu has always tried to uphold Rahul Gandhi, even going so far as to say 'Kaun sa Captain? Rahul Gandhi is my captain.'

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'They will not be allowed in Haryana'

On October 5, the protest will begin from Dudhan Sadhan (Patiala) with a public meeting, and the tractors will then travel 10 km to Pehowa border, from where Rahul Gandhi will enter Haryana, for a series of programmes there, said the spokesperson. However, Haryana's Home Minister Anil Vij on Thursday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi can do whatever he wants during his visit to Punjab, where he is scheduled to hold tractor rallies against Centre's new farm laws, but his rally will not be given permission to enter the neighbouring state.

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"They will not be allowed to disturb Haryana's atmosphere. Earlier, two Congress-sponsored rallies were also stopped from entering the state. Likewise, we will stop his (Rahul's tractor) rally and won't allow him to enter Haryana," Vij told reporters. "Rahul Gandhi may do whatever he wishes in Punjab, but his rally won't be allowed entry in Haryana, he added. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against the farm laws and the Congress has demanded their rollback.

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