Congress pays ₹10.08 lakh for Indore land lease after stadium denial

The Congress has secured an alternative venue in Indore for Rahul Gandhi's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme, paying ₹10.08 lakh to lease 12,000 square metres of land in front of the Regional Park from the Indore Development Authority (IDA).

The land has been leased for three days, from September 17 to September 19, with the fee set at the prevailing rate, an IDA official said. In a letter to Indore City Congress Committee president Chintu Chouksey, the authority said permission for the event would be granted once the amount was deposited, subject to prescribed conditions. The organisers would be responsible for security arrangements at the venue and for obtaining no-objection certificates from the departments concerned, the letter added.

Chouksey said the party had deposited the agreed sum into the IDA's bank account. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government was uneasy about the event and had been harassing the Congress over the venue.

The party had initially sought to hold the programme at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on September 12, but after permission did not come through, the date was moved to September 19, Chouksey said. He added that the party was made to run around for ten days to secure the land in front of the Regional Park.

The stadium falls under the municipal corporation. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said that under an old order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the stadium can be used only for sports or state-level government events.

BJP state co-media in-charge Alok Dubey accused the Congress of indulging in propaganda politics, saying the public knows the truth about the party. Taking a jibe at the event's name, he said it should be called "Jhooth Ki Goonj" instead of "Chhatron Ki Goonj".

The Congress has named the venue "Bharat Jodo Maidan" and claims that about 1.5 lakh students have registered for the programme.

'Chhatron Ki Goonj' is a student-dialogue campaign launched by Gandhi to take on the BJP over issues such as question paper leaks, expensive education, irregularities in government recruitment and unemployment. Four editions have been held so far, in Kota, Dehradun, Prayagraj and Pune, with the most recent one in Pune on August 22 reserved for female students.