Congress leaders start planning for 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'

Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi who returned after a foreign tour, on Sunday held their first meeting to plan the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' starting October 2 in a bid to revive the organisation.

The Central Planning Group for Bharat Jodo Yatra headed by senior MP Digvijaya Singh met at Congress War Room here to chalk out a plan for the nationwide yatra starting on Gandhi Jayanti.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had announced the yatra on May 15 at the conclusion of the Udaipur Chintan Shivir. Announcing the programme, she said the yatra was meant to “strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under stress, to preserve the foundational values of our Constitution that are under assault and to highlight the day-to-day concerns of crores of our people.”

"The first meeting of the Central Planning Group for Bharat Jodo Yatra took place today. The Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra will start on October 2nd and planning for it began in earnest. Rahul Gandhi also attended the meeting," Singh tweeted.

Those present in the meeting included Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor, KJ George, Jothi Mani, Indian Youth Congress chief B V Srinivas, Mahila Congress chief Netta D'Souza and NSUI president Neeraj Kundan.

At the Chintan Shivir, Sonia had held a meeting with senior state leaders to discuss the contours of a nationwide agitation. Singh, who also heads the Sustained Agitation Committee that was formed last September, made a detailed presentation at the meeting attended by Congress General Secretaries, party in-charges, state presidents and Congress Legislature Party leaders.

There were also demands by party leaders like former president of Congress in Kerala, Ramesh Chennithala, at the conclave that Rahul should take out an all-India yatra that would enthuse the party cadre.