Meanwhile, as elsewhere in the country, Sonia's decision to quit from the party's leadership has sent her loyalists in a tizzy. A number of programmes were held in protest against Sonia's move and her supporters said they would not rest till she revoked her decision.

Gujarat Pradesh Youth Congress president Himmatsinh Patel and his colleagues obeserved a token fast in the compound of the PCC office on Tuesday.

They plan to send a memorandum through courier to Sonia. The memorandum, penned in blood, will urge her to once again take over leadership of the party. The YC workers also lashed out at the three leaders who ``had shown the narrow vision of questioning her origins.'' They have demanded that the three apologise in public at the earliest.

On the other hand, Congress workers today fanned out to different places in the state as part of the mass contact programme. The programme started with Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee president C D Patel flagging off 10 floats here at the PCC headquarters.

Seeing the party workers off, Patel said the Congress would not only contest elections under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, despite all sorts of false propaganda, but also win with a thumping majority. He said that during the mass contact programme, party workers would tell people about the all-round failure of the ruling BJP in the state and at the Centre. Issues like price rise, persecution of minorities, deteriorating law and order situation and corruption would be raised during the mass contact programmes, he said.

Amarsinh Chaudhary, who was also present at function, said those calling Sonia a foreign national did not seem to be aware of the traditions of Indian culture. He said the three senior party leaders, who had questioned Sonia's merits for becoming Prime Minister, had forgotten their own past. He said Sonia had entered politics after much cajoling and pestering by all the party leaders.

The 10 floats will go to Ambaji, Porbandar, Dangs, Dahod and Narayan Sarovar, covering a distance of 6,500 km to address 300 public meetings en route. Patel also released the anniversary issue of Krut-Sankalp, a fortnightly which was started on May 21 last year.