Last Update: December 19, 2022, 14:52 IST
Rahul Gandhi started his Bharat Jodo Yatra in September this year. (Photo by @INCIndia)
Party sources said the yatra will pass through Phagwara, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Madhopur and cover the politically important Doaba and Majha regions where the Congress was defeated during the assembly elections.
After the Assembly polls and the loss of many of its senior leaders to opposition parties, a faction-ridden Punjab Congress is attempting to turn the state phase of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ into an exercise in reviving its directionless and de-motivated cadre. Has been
The state party headquarters in Chandigarh as well as other major cities are witnessing some activity as the senior leadership finalizes the route of the yatra, which is expected to take over a week before arriving in Punjab and entering Jammu and Kashmir next month. More time is expected to pass through other cities. ,
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja is holding a meeting with office-bearers to prepare for the Waring Yatra, which began in Kanyakumari on September 7 and completed 100 days last week. It has visited eight states – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“It is a march for youth who are unemployed, against inflation and rise in prices of essential commodities, and for brotherhood and harmony of all communities including Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Christians,” Waring said. Aimed at boosting the morale of the cadre that found itself virtually inactive after losing the assembly elections in March.
While the details of the tour are yet to be finalised, party sources said the yatra will pass through Phagwara, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Madhopur before entering Jammu and Kashmir. He said the route would cover the politically important Doaba and Majha regions where the Congress had faced defeat during the assembly elections. “We have already asked all the leaders at the district and city level to ensure maximum participation to make this a grand success,” Waring said.
Party sources said the state unit had requested the yatra to be given crucial time to pass through the state, so that maximum number of workers could be mobilized at the grassroots level. He said, ‘It has been a long time since the party organized any major political programme. Though the senior leadership has said that the yatra is non-political, we want to ensure that it helps us to motivate the cadre,” said a leader.
The plan for the yatra comes at a time when the party is also looking to resolve differences between the warring factions. The expected premature release of former finance minister Manpreet Badal, months before his meeting with former Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in Patiala jail, is being seen as one such move. There are indications that Sidhu may be entrusted with some important responsibility after his release and efforts may be made to sort out the differences.
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