BANIBRATA DATTA
Indian National Congress’ much publicised ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by Rahul Gandhi will be held in Odisha in end of October.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra will commence from Indira Gandhi Park in Bhubaneswar from October 31 for a period of 100 days, informed Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Sarat Pattanayak here today.
Involving social workers, the 2250-km march will cover 20 parliamentary constituencies in Odisha. Senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh will join the programme in the state, he stated.
Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra has entered its 11th day today. The programme was launched by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on September 8 in Tamil Nadu. The 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be completed in 150 days and cover as many as 12 states.
“The programme involving padayatra or walkathon of Congress leaders and workers is moving in two batches, one from 7 am to 10.30 am and other from 4 pm to 7.30 pm. The participants are walking around 22 km everyday and till today, the yatra has covered 210 km,” a Congress worker said.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra will pass through 12 states. Although, Odisha is not covered under the programme, Congress has decided to hold similar event in the states like Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Sikkim, West Bengal, Nagaland and Bihar, sources said.
Some 118 Padyatri shall totally cover the yatra on foot in 150 days and will move through Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Jammu.
Tripura Congress to also participate in the 3500 km long ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ foot rally
The goal of the Congress party is to connect with the people of the country, and their concerns and discuss various national issues like inflation, unemployment, and social tensions besides threats to democracy and raise them to the Centre, through its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ foot rally.
In presence of senior Congress leaders including AICC in-charge Tripura Szarita Laitphlang, state president Birajit Sinha, MLA Sudip Roy Barman, and Congress Leaders Ashis Saha & Prasanta Battacharjee, heads of various organizing of the Party.
Tripura Pradesh Congress has also decided to organize a symbolic rally here in which all senior leaders are going to participate.
The AICC in-charge also informed that though some states including the northeastern are not covered this time in the second phase of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ all the northeastern states shall be covered.
Opposing policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP Government at Centre, Congress launched the mass padayatra against inflation and unemployment to reach out people and to strengthen the party from grassroot level involving citizens of the country. This comes ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in Gujarat scheduled to be held in December this year.
