Sonia, Rahul send 24 truckloads of relief supplies to flood-hit Uttarakhand

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday flagged off relief material for the victims of flash floods in Uttarakhand. Top Congress leaders were present at the AICC headquarters where Gandhi and her son Rahul flagged off 24 truckloads of relief supplies in addition to the 125 trucks already sent to Dehradun.

Besides the Gandhis, leaders present on the occasion included Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Road Transport Minister Oscar Fernandes and, political secretary to Congress President Ahmed Patel, AICC General Secretaries Ambika Soni and Ajay Maken. This was Rahul Gandhi's first appearance since the natural calamity struck Uttarkhand as he was abroad.

AICC treasurer Motilal Vora and AICC general secretary and in-charge of Congress President's Office Ambika Soni had visited Uttarakhand to oversee relief operations and coordinate with state Congress units which have been sending relief materials.

Congress has set up a control room at Dehradun to accelerate the relief work. AICC Secretary Sanjay Kapoor and the party's wing Seva Dal's chief Mahendra Joshi have already been sent to Dehradun to monitor the work.