New Delhi:
Ahead of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections in early 2013, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will start his two-day tour of Kullu district today to gauge the party's preparedness.
"Rahul Gandhi is an SPG protectee, so that means all the relevant SPG protocols have been organised. Around 400 people will be engaged in his protection. Some from CID, and others from district police. We have also organised a bomb disposal squad and a bullet proof vehicle," said Ashok Kumar, SP, Kullu.
In Kullu, he will meet district and block level committee heads of the Himachal Pradesh Congress. This meeting will be followed up with an interaction with the elected office-bearers of the party's students wing, National Students Union of India (NSUI), and opening of a two-day NSUI training programme for all the blocks in the state.
Late on Monday afternoon, Mr Gandhi will hold consultations with senior party leaders including Himachal Congress Committee office-bearers, legislators and parliament members.
On Tuesday, the Congress general secretary will meet the office-bearers of the Indian Youth Congress who have been elected to the state assembly and the Lok Sabha.
According to party sources, Mr Gandhi will also assess former chief minister of Himachal Virbhadra Singh to see if he can still be projected as face of Congress party.
Last week, Virbhadra Singh, a former chief minister and senior Congress leader from the hill state, resigned from the Union Cabinet after a Shimla court framed corruption charges against him and his wife Pratibha Singh.
Mr Singh blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal for it and said he will fight both at the grassroots level and in the courts of law.