A day before Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s March 7 rally in Moga, the party changed its name for third time to ‘Mission 13’ from ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’. Initially, it was decided to be named ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Hindustan’ as a “tribute to the CRPF men killed in Pulwama attacks”. Congress president Gandhi is scheduled to address the first rally in Punjab for Lok Sabha polls 2019 at Killi Chahlan village of Moga on Thursday. Now, there will be no mention of the words, jawan (soldier) or kisan (farmer), in the rally name. Earlier, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar had announced that the rally will be dedicated to the armed forces and CRPF men killed in Pulwama attack. He had said that the rally would be named ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Hindustan’ and the main pandal after CRPF’s slain head constable Jaimal Singh who was from Ghaloti Khurd village in Moga district. This would show the party is standing with the armed forces and that India is one, Jakhar had said. Ironically, he had attacked the BJP for exploiting the armed forces and martyrs for political gains. Later, the rally was named ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ as Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will be launching debt relief scheme for landless farmers and farm labourers, which the government claims will benefit 2.85 lakh people. On Wednesday, Moga MLA Harjot Kamal said that on the orders of Captain Singh and Punjab affairs in-charge Asha Kumari, the rally has finally been named ‘Mission-13’, with an aim to win all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab. “The plan to name the rally as Jai Jawan, Jai Hindustan has been cancelled. The final decision had to be taken by the CM and other senior leaders and now it has been finalised as ‘Mission-13’. We will be promising Gandhi that the party is capable of winning all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab. The decision to name the main pandal after CRPF man Jaimal Singh has also been shelved,” said Kamal. While posters at the site announced ‘Mission-13’ as the name of the rally, it seemed that confusion still persisted among local Congress leadership. Press invites by Moga Congress district president Maheshinder Singh Nihal Singh Wala read ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan rally’. Youth Congress leader Kamaljit Singh Brar, son of Baghapurana MLA Darshan Singh Brar, in his invites sent to media, still named it as ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Hindustan’ rally. “The final name is Mission 13 as approved by the high command. Other names are being used at their own level,” clarified MLA Kamal.
