New Delhi: In an attempt to revive the party and counter the BJP ahead of the 2024 national elections, the Congress on Tuesday announced to launch of its Bharat Jodo yatra, to be led by Rahul Gandhi from September 7. The grand old party had planned to launch the 3500 km nationwide yatra which will crisscross through 12 states and 2 UTs on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
However, the party strategists decided to advance the Kanyakumari to Kashmir march to step up against the Centre, which has been allegedly targeting the Gandhi family in the National Herald case through the ED. It was also an attempt to counter the Centre’s policies that have allegedly led to high price rise and unemployment, a sliding economy with the Rupee downfall and misuse of the central probe agencies.
The Congress has been alleging over the past months that the Gandhi family is being targeted by the ED after the party announced plans to launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra as part of the Udaipur declaration finalised after three days of brainstorming by over 400 leaders to prepare a strategy for the 2024 national elections.
Days ago, Rahul Gandhi, responded to the sealing of the Young Indian offices, which owns the National Herald, saying he was not afraid of PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah and would go fight the ideology of the BJP.
According to party insiders, they also want to counter the BJP’s version of nationalism by highlighting the role of the Congress in the country’s freedom struggle and therefore announced the nationwide yatra on Aug 9, the anniversary of the Quit India movement started in 1942 by Mahatma Gandhi.
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“On this day 80 years ago the Indian National Congress under the leadership and inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi launched the “Bharat Chhodo” movement that won our country freedom five years later. Today the Indian National Congress announces the launch of its Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra from September 7th, 2022,” Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said.
“This is a padayatra throughout twelve states and 2 Union Territories. It will be about 3500 km long and will be completed in about 150 days. Congress workers and leaders including Rahul Gandhi will participate in the yatra,” he said.
Recently, the Congress leaders changed their social media DPs to a picture of first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru holding the Indian flag in an attempt to counter the BJP’s “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign to mark 75 years of Independence. The Congress has launched a separate 75 km mini-yatra initiative in all the districts of the country to celebrate the milestone from Aug 9-14. The Bharat Jodo yatra hopes to capitalise on the sentiment that will be generated through the mini-yatras, said party strategists.
On a day the Congress announced the nationwide yatra, the party also made an “appeal to all wanting to be part of a gigantic national endeavour to provide an alternative to the politics of fear, bigotry and prejudice and to the economics of livelihood destruction, increasing unemployment and growing inequalities to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.”
Congress had pressed for a debate over these issues during the monsoon session of Parliament, which was adjourned on Monday four days ahead of schedule.
On the anniversary of the Quit India movement, Ramesh accused the RSS of distancing itself from the national agitation. “What do you think the RSS was doing 80 years ago on this historic day when Mahatma Gandhi launched Quit India? It was on the sidelines dissociating itself from the mass movement. Shyama Prasad Mookherjee took no part while Gandhi, Nehru, Patel, Azad, Prasad, Pant and many others were jailed,” Ramesh tweeted.
