Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will announce the party's Chief Ministerial face for the upcoming Punjab Assembly polls on February 6, said party state in-charge, Harish Chaudhary on Friday.
The party would do so "respecting the sentiments of the Congress workers and people of Punjab".
Addressing the media at party headquarters here, Chaudhary said, "Rahul Gandhi will address a virtual rally in Ludhiana on February 6 and during the event, he will announce the CM face."
He said that respecting the guidelines of the election commission, the candidates of the party from all 117 constituencies will attend the virtual rally by maintaining the gathering at their respective venues as per the permissible limit.
Referring to the recent arrest of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey by ED in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case, the Congress leader said that the Chief Minister's family has nothing to do with the action taken by the ED adding that the BJP "always has always misused" the Central agencies before the elections.
"In the past also, this central government had adopted such tactics to put pressure on the opposition parties ahead of elections. They have targeted the families of MK Stalin in Tamil Nadu, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra. Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his family have nothing to do with the action taken by the ED," he said.
He added that CM Channi had supported the farmers during the farmers' movement. Apart from this, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state in January where he was stuck on a flyover, CM Channi had said that he will not charge lathi on farmers.
He alleged that the Central government is taking revenge and targeting the Chief Minister.
Chaudhary said that the Congress party, its workers and the people of Punjab are standing with Chief Minister Channi and will give a befitting reply to the people who are adopting "cheap tactics", in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.
Punjab will go to the polls on February 20. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
( With inputs from ANI )
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