Karnataka Cong wants Rahul to focus on local issues, not Adani

On April 10, Rahul Gandhi will be back where the defamation and disqualification storm began: Kolar. And the Karnataka Congress is looking at the visit with mixed feelings.

The decision to begin the campaign was taken by Team Rahul with the idea that he would show that by going back to the place where he had raised the corruption issue of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, the Congress leader was unapologetic and not scared despite being disqualified as an MP and facing legal hassle.

Sources in Karnataka Congress told News18 that it would have been better if he had avoided Kolar as his first stop, as it would needlessly give a point to the BJP, which is facing challenges ahead of the May 10 assembly elections. But more than the venue, the worry is about what Rahul Gandhi is likely to say. It’s inevitable that he will use the Surat court verdict to make the point that it was his relentless questioning of the alleged PM-Adani connection that made the BJP ensure he was pushed out of Parliament. So, Rahul will raise the Adani issue.

A top source in Karnataka Congress involved in managing the polls said, “We have conveyed it to his team and advised him. We hope he doesn’t raise it too often. Once or twice is enough. After all, the real issues are local, like corruption in the Bommai government.”

But Rahul Gandhi is known to have his own point and mind, and it’s quite possible, said sources, that he would not pay heed to such concerns of local leaders.

Recently, News18 had reported that the BJP is hoping that the disqualified MP raises national issues, so that the fight in Karnataka becomes Modi versus Rahul. This, the BJP calculates, would help it in a state poll where it is facing many challenges.

That’s precisely the reason why Karnataka Congress hopes Rahul Gandhi is vocal on local issues.