The Congress will hold rath yatras in all Lok Sabha constituencies of Gujarat to highlight the achievements of the UPA Government, especially the flagship programmes, and to dispel misgivings, caused by the Opposition BJP and the Left, about the Indo-US nuclear deal. The nuke deal will also be packaged as a proof of the UPA's commitment to providing electricity.

Similar publicity exercises relating to the n-deal are likely to be launched across the country after the Extended Congress Working Committee meeting on September 13, which will discuss the party’s strategy for the next Assembly and general elections. The CWC meeting is also likely to endorse the state’s as also the central government’s stance on Amarnath land row, according to party sources.

As for the Gujarat publicity exercise, the idea is to involve top state leaders in each Lok Sabha constituency in this mass mobilisation programme in the state. The proposed rath yatras, scheduled from September 14 to October 9, will cover almost 9,000 villages. Around 104 large public meetings and 1,300 small ones are planned across the state during this period.

At present, the Congress holds 12 out of 26 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Although the ruling party at the Centre had got a drubbing in the last Assembly elections, party leaders believe the defeat was more a reflection of wrong selection of candidates and over-dependence on BJP rebels who turned out to be a liability, rather than a verdict on the Congress’ mass appeal. Congress leaders also believe that the cult status of Chief Minister Narendra Modi may not have the same electoral appeal in the Lok Sabha elections as it had in the Assembly election.

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