The Congress has pulled out all the stops to make the party’s Barnala rally a major show of strength. According to party leaders, they are expecting a gathering of 50,000 people, for which 1,000 buses are being arranged to ferry supporters to the venue.The February 28 rally, being held at the Barnala grain market, will be addressed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also likely to hold an interaction with rural workers.The event, being held by the Congress as part of its MGNREGA Bachao Sangram, is also seen as an attempt by the party’s top leadership to plug factionalism in the state unit by bringing warring factions on one platform. Earlier, the party had released a poster of Rahul, showing him as a MGNREGA worker.The replacing of the UPA-era scheme by the Centre with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act had stoked a string of protests in the state.The MGNREGA, which provided 100 days of guaranteed employment, was introduced in 2005 by the Congress-led UPA government. Under the new scheme, states will have to foot 40 per cent of the wage bill, a provision criticised by the Congress and Opposition-ruled states.Malwa region in focusThe rally will mainly comprise party workers from Barnala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Patiala, Ludhiana, Muktsar, Mansa and Moga districts, said Punjab Congress general secretary Sandeep Singh Sandhu.The districts belong to Punjab’s Malwa region, which has 69 of the total 117 Assembly seats. Meanwhile, state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “The rally will mainly focus on the scrapping of the MGNREGA and the India-US trade deal.Warring said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge may turn up to address the rally.Local party workers said there was enthusiasm among the cadre ahead of the event, especially in the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency.The Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency comprises Sangrur, Lehra, Dirba, Sunam, Dhuri, Barnala, Bhadaur, Mehal Kalan and Malerkotla Assembly segments.Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s constituency Dhuri falls in the Lok Sabha segment. Before becoming the CM, he was AAP MP from Sangrur. Constituencies of AAP bigwigs — Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Cabinet Ministers Aman Arora and Barinder Goyal — also fall under it.Party flays withdrawal of singer’s securityChandigarh: State Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the Punjab Police should explain as to why the security of actor and singer Gippy Grewal was withdrawn. Talking to mediapersons outside the Punjab Governor’s residence, he said “It came to my knowledge today that the security of Gippy Garewal has been taken back. The police should tell on what basis it was done.” Earlier, Congress leaders met the Governor regarding the razing of a wall of MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira’s ancestral home in a Bholath village.