Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will skip the 10-day protests organised by his party from November 5 as he is abroad on a “meditational visit”.

The protests are against the “misrule” of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and a Congress statement said the focus will be on the “adverse impact of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, economic crisis, mounting unemployment, spiralling price rise, collapse of banking system, heavy loss of jobs in public and private sectors, omnipresent farm distress, etc.”

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here on Wednesday that the Wayanad MP has gone in the past from time to time on a meditational visit and will return shortly. “This entire programme (protests) was drafted as per his direction and in consultation with him and he guided the party on to the various steps and issues that were to be taken. Rahul Gandhi was also present in the meeting and participated where this programme was taken up. Neither (Congress president) Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul Gandhi are going for State agitation and district agitational programmes,” Surjewala said. Reports were there that the Wayanad MP is at Indonesia at present.

In another statement, Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal said the protests will culminate in a “massive program” here in the last week of November. “AICC has also decided to depute 31 senior Congress leaders as observers to various States/UTs to monitor this agitation programme across the country. Senior Congress leaders will also hold press conferences in major towns and cities,” Venugopal added. The programme was decided by the Congress Working Committee and was scheduled to be held in October. It was postponed due to the elections in Haryana and Maharashtra.

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