New Delhi: Ahead of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the Congress on Monday said that Rahul Gandhi is not leading the foot march, but will walk, along with 118 fellow travellers. “Rahul Gandhi is not leading the yatra, he is walking, along with 118 persons, who will complete the entire 3,500 km stretch,” Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said.
The Congress leader likened Rahul Gandhi to Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela, who had said, “I don’t need followers, I need those who can walk, along with me.” The yatra is starting in the backdrop of the elections for the post of party president that will take place on October 17. There is a strong demand from the workers that Rahul should become the next party chief, but the leader had reportedly been reluctant, giving rise to speculation over the possibility of a non-Gandhi becoming the new party chief.
Also read:Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress counts gains across the country, special focus on southern India
In this backdrop, there may be an election for the post of Congress chief, party insiders said. Already, party MP Shashi Tharoor hinted that he may contest and there could be others in the race as well. “Anybody who wants to contest the elections is welcome. They will get the electoral rolls when they file nomination,” said Ramesh over the demand that some seniors have raised that the rolls be published on the party website.
Ramesh also took a dig at Ghulam Nabi Azad, who recently quit the party and had blamed Rahul for the party’s fate. Azad said that there is a need for 'Congress Jodo' instead of a 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' as the party has lost its glory. “Our preference is Bharat Jodo. The country is being broken today due to economic disparities, social polarisation and political centralisation,” he said.
“Those who are dissatisfied keep giving statements, but the party is united and all our workers are gearing for the Yatra,” he said. The Congress leader further stated that the party is a big family and a democratic setup in which people were free to express themselves. “We try to convince people, but some of them still leave,” he said. According to the Congress veteran, the Yatra would go smoothly, along with the process for the election of the next party president.
“In case, there is a need for voting, then we have made arrangements that all these 118 Bharat Yatris, along with Rahul ji, can cast their votes at the Karnataka PCC headquarters in Bengaluru as they would be Karnataka around polling dates,” said Ramesh. The Yatra said is to connect the people of the country with the Congress and had nothing to do with state polls in Karnataka and Telangana next year. In case, Rahul was needed for campaigning in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where elections will be held in a few months, the leader would go, he said.
