Rahul to kick off campaign in Bihar with a rally on Sep 19

Invoking Dalit icons B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will kick off his election campaign in Bihar with rally on September 19 where other top leaders of the grand alliance are likely to be present.

The party believes with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addressing the rally with the theme of "Samata and Samrasata" (equity and harmony), the anti-BJP alliance will be able drive home the message of social justice with greater force.

The JD(U)-RJD-Congress combine already has a "pro-development" face in Nitish Kumar to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-pitched campaign advocating Bihar's development, party sources said.

Congress plans to make the proposed rally at Ram Nagar in West Champaran district a "mega" affair after the alliance's Swabhiman rally in Patna on August 30 which was attended by Sonia Gandhi, lalu and Nitish.

However, there are reports that Lalu may not attend the rally and send his younger son Tejaswi instead.

Lalu has not been on best of terms with Rahul ever since the Congress vice president vetoed a UPA government's ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers from disqualification in September 2013 which, according to the Opposition, was brought to help the RJD president, who was convicted in the fodder scam.

When asked whether Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar will share the dais with Rahul Gandhi at the September 19 rally, JD(U) general secretary K C Tyagi said, "Nitishji is attending the rally. Who will attend from RJD is for that party to decide but nobody has any issues with either Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi."

"Nobody has any objection to anybody attending the rally. The Champaram rally will prove that the grand alliance is intact and successful," he said.