On Thursday, senior party officials stated that the Congress would reach out to civil society members and like-minded political parties for the ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra, which will begin on October 2 and mobilize support to battle polarization and safeguard the Constitution democracy, and other institutions.
The 3500-kilometer yatra, which will run from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, will pass through 12 states and will be the first significant exercise of its kind in decades, covering the entire country from south to north, they said, just days after the party announced the initiative at its Chintan Shivir in Udaipur.
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will also attend a day-long meeting with 70 state-working presidents, ministers from party-ruled states, certain party spokespersons, and others who did not invite to the Shivir.
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According to the leaders, the Congress head would shortly establish a task team to give final form to the Udaipur declaration’s conclusions in a stepwise way.
The task group will also assist the party in developing its general election plan for 2024 and making the party election-ready.
They also said that Congress is eager to improve its communication strategy and promptly define the party’s positions on critical problems plaguing the nation. Leaders raised this subject during the Shivir.
According to them, Congress President Sonia Gandhi would have an advisory group of top CWC leaders who would advise her and the party on how to take positions on crucial matters.
As part of its aim to boost its communication strategy, the party has also resolved to teach leaders how to express the party’s position on major issues before the nation.
In Kerala, the training will be conducted systematically. The training institution was established as part of the party’s Shimla statement in 2003.
For the first time at the Udaipur Shivir, the emphasis on organizational concerns overshadowed political and economic issues throughout the deliberations and the decision.
50 percent of persons under the age of 50 were represented in party posts, according to the decisions.
Within the following two to three months, Congress will see its implementation at block and district-level committees to maintain the average age of these panels at 45 years.
However, getting the average age of the Pradesh Congress Committees (PCC) and the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s top decision-making body, to 50 years would take time since its members are needed to have greater experience, they added.
According to the leaders, the Congress will also reach out to civil society members and like-minded political parties and institutions to broaden the yatra’s appeal and reach out to the public.
“The yatra is intended not just at unifying the nation and liberating it from greater polarization, but also at protecting the Constitution, democracy, government assets, and institutions,” a top Congress leader said.
According to a leader, the Congress would hold public forums in numerous states along its path to raise awareness about the “BJP’s ambitions to split the nation along religious lines owing to a climate of heightened polarization.”
A committee of top politicians will work out the route, and former Congress chairman Rahul Gandhi is anticipated to be there when it begins in Kanyakumari.
According to the leaders, the party has received a positive reaction from individuals from all walks of life, including civil society members and those from institutions who wish to join the Congress ‘Bharat Jodo yatra.’
They pointed out that, unlike the party’s Pachmarhi, Shimla, and Jaipur conclaves, the Chintan Shivir in Udaipur was the first time the party accepted the proclamation in Hindi since the party hopes to reclaim the 250 Lok Sabha seats in the north.
Furthermore, each 430-plus delegates spoke on key themes at the Udaipur Shivir.
From June 15 through October 15, the Congress will launch the second phase of the Jan Jagran Abhiyan, concentrating on price rises, the economy, and unemployment.
