Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address a rally at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district on March 15 as part of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is also set to make a night halt there, party functionaries said.

Interestingly, Gandhi is facing a case of criminal defamation filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker over the former's alleged statement made at an election rally near Bhiwandi 10 years back (in March 2014), that "the RSS people killed Mahatma Gandhi".

The district unit of the Congress is making all necessary arrangements for the yatra, they said.

Gandhi's yatra is scheduled to enter Maharashtra from neighbouring Gujarat on March 10. In the state, it will pass via Nandurbar, Dhule, Malegaon and Nashik, Bhiwandi and Mumbai, the Congress has said.

Former state Congress president and ex-minister Balasaheb Thorat visited Thane city and Bhiwandi on Saturday to take stock of the preparations.

Talking to reporters, Thorat said that after entering Nandurbar on March 12, Gandhi will reach Bhiwandi on March 15, where he will interact with local citizens.

"Later, the yatra will make a night halt in Bhiwandi before proceeding to Thane and then to Mumbai on March 16. The next day (on March 17), a public rally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will be held in Mumbai," he said.

Bhiwandi Congress unit president Abdul Rashi Tahir Momin said as per the tentative plan, Gandhi will address a public meeting from his vehicle at the Anand Dighe Chowk in Bhiwandi.

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