Congress Considering East-to-West Yatra from Pasighat to Porbandar: Jairam Ramesh

Congress is considering the second leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, spanning the country from east to west, said party general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday.

The announcement for the upcoming foot march, from Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat, comes after Rahul Gandhi called for taking the “tapasya” of the Bharat Jodo Yatra forward.

News18 had last month reported that the party is mulling a east to west yatra which is likely to begin from April.

‘Different Format from Bharat Jodo Yatra’

An east-to-west yatra, probably from Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat, was being considered but its format could be a bit different from the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ramesh told PTI.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm and energy. I also think personally it is needed but the format of the east-to-west yatra may turn out to be different from the format of the south-to-north Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he said.

The senior party leader asserted that there was a lot of enthusiasm and energy among party workers for another yatra after the nearly 4,000-km Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir journey that was undertaken by Gandhi and scores of Congress persons from September last year to January this year.

‘May Have Less Yatris’

Ramesh said that the planned yatra may not have an elaborate infrastructure that was mobilised for the Bharat Jodo Yatra and may have less yatris.

He said it would largely be a padayatra but there are jungles and rivers on this route. “It would be a multi-modal yatra, but mostly it would be a padayatra,” Ramesh said.

Karnataka Elections Connection

Ramesh further said that with elections in Karnataka in April, rains from June and again state polls in November, the yatra may have to be undertaken before June or before November.

Ramesh also added that the yatra would be of a shorter duration than the Bharat Jodo Yatra. “All this will be decided in the next few weeks,” he said.

Addressing the Congress plenary session, Gandhi said the party should formulate a new plan to carry forward the “tapasya” undertaken through the Bharat Jodo Yatra and that he along with the entire country will participate in it, indicating another such initiative.

Bharat Jodo Yatra has Come as a Turning Point: Sonia Gandhi

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said she was happy that her innings could conclude with the Bharat Jodo Yatra and congratulated Rahul Gandhi for providing the leadership and determination that led to the success of the yatra. “The yatra has come as a turning point. It has proved that the people of India overwhelmingly want harmony, tolerance and equality. It has renewed the rich legacy of dialogue between our party and the people through mass-contact programmes. It has shown us all that the Congress stands with the people and is ready to fight for them,” she said.

Meanwhile former Union minister M Veerappa Moily, who was the chairman of the sub-group on political affairs for the plenary, said, “We have definitely given a roadmap for the Congress-led government to come back in 2024. We shall take the initiative, unite all secular and socialist forces to come along with the Congress to re-establish the Congress-led government in the country.” Kharge also took a swipe at Prime Minister Modi, alleging that the “pradhan sevak of Delhi, who gets advertisements printed every day, is serving his own friend”.

(With inputs from PTI)

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