Karnataka Polls: Rahul Gandhi To Address Rally At Kolar Tomorrow Where He Made 'Modi-Surname' Remark

Rahul Gandhi made the ‘Modi-surname’ remark during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign in Kolar for which he was convicted by a Surat court and was disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi to address poll rally in Karnataka's Kolar tomorrow ( Image Source :PTI File Photo )

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be in poll-bound Karnataka’s Kolar on Sunday, tomorrow, the same place where he made the ‘Modi-surname’ remark during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign for which he was convicted by a Surat court and was disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha. As per a report by PTI the Congress leader will arrive in Bengaluru tomorrow morning and travel to Kolar where he will address the 'Jai Bharat' rally organised by the party.

Later in the day, Gandhi will inaugurate the newly-constructed ‘Indira Gandhi Bhavan’ —  office and auditorium with a seating capacity of 750 people — near the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru.

Several other senior party leaders are also expected to be present in the event including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, KPCC chief D K Shivakumar, legislature party leader, and former chief minister Siddaramaiah. 

According to the report, the rally was initially planned for April 5 but was then postponed to April 9 and then for April 16 due to poll preparation and the candidate selection process, among other reasons. 

On March 23, the former Wayanad MP was found guilty in a defamation case for his ‘Modi-surname’ remark. The court had sentenced him to two years in jail in the 2019 criminal defamation case over his "why all thieves have the Modi surname" remark. 

A day later he was disqualified as an MP from Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case. The Gandhi scion had made those remarks at Kolar in April 2019 during the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

Kolar is an important seat for the Congress as Siddaramaiah has expressed his wish to contest from there, as his second seat. He has already been fielded from Varuna in the Mysuru district.

Congress has not yet named its candidate for the Kolar seat.