The Congress is set to hold a three-day plenary session in the second half of February, which remained one of the talking points of the first meeting of the steering committee – constituted by new party chief Mallikarjun Kharge – on Sunday, it was revealed during a press briefer. The Bharat Jodo Yatra – being led by Rahul Gandhi since September – was also the focus during the discussions among senior leaders of the grand old party, including Sonia Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
We have decided to hold a massive campaign – ‘Hath se Hath Jodo Abhiyan’ – from January 26 onwards. This would be a two-month campaign, under which block-level pad yatra (foot march) will be done. The party will handover a letter from Rahul Gandhi and a chargesheet against the Modi government during this period. We will specially focus on youth connect during this yatra,” party leader KC Venugopal told reporters.
In the plenary session, Jairam Ramesh said that the focus will be on issues related to youth, among others. “This evening, the Bharat Jodo Yatra will be entering Rajasthan. So far, over 2,500 kms – spanning over seven states – have been covered. About 1,100 kms are left in the journey,” he underlined. The Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra aims to revive the grand old party’s connect with the masses with an eye on the 2024 polls.
During the meeting, we held a long discussion about what next after Bharat Jodo Yatra? What should be the follow-up? ‘Hath se hath jodo’ is the special programme that has been planned. This will be done at block as well district level. Rahul Gandhi will highlight the achievements of Bharat Jodo Yatra during this,” Jairam Ramesh added during the briefing after the key meeting of the Congress.
At the meeting, Kharge insisted on “top to bottom” accountability in the party, news agency PTI reported. The steering panel meet comes ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, set to begin in a few days.
Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to be in attendance at the parliament session.
(With inputs from PTI)