Gujarat Cong to organise more than 300 sammelans, invites Rahul Gandhi

The Gujarat Congress will organise more than 300 'sammelans' (conventions) across the state this month to highlight what it calls the failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, and has invited party leader Rahul Gandhi to be a part of the same, a senior party functionary said on Saturday.

Talking to reporters, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor said the party plans to organise sammelans in 251 talukas, 33 districts and eight metro centres in two phases, between April 6-12 and April 15-25.

Gandhi has been invited to Gujarat between April 20 and April 25 to lend his support, he said.

Gandhi was last in Surat on March 23 to appear before a court, which convicted him in a criminal defamation case and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, eventually leading to his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha.

The protests will be carried out irrespective of whether the police grant permission, Thakor said.

Denying permission for peaceful protests has become a nor