New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday started gearing up for its mega show of strength on September 7 - the launch of Bharat Jodo Yatra – and has urged all the top central and state leaders to attend an event at Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari where the grand old party will invoke the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi.
According to sources, personal invites are being dispatched by AICC general secretary in charge of Organization KC Venugopal, urging all Congress Working Committee members, all AICC members, all MPs, all state unit chiefs, all MLAs and heads of frontal organizations to attend a prayer meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam in Kanyakumari on September 7.
“This is a big event for us. We will unite the country,” AICC secretary in charge of organization Qazi Mohammed Nizamuddin told this channel. After the prayers in the name of Mahatma Gandhi, who was the torch-bearer of India’s freedom struggle and led the Indian National Congress, the grand old party will hold a big rally at the venue before setting off the 3,500 km yatra that will take key party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and volunteers through 12 states and 2 UTs over the next 150 days to reach Kashmir.
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“Let us come together to fight hate, divisiveness, and increasing socio-economic crisis. Let us unite to make India stronger, glorious and greater through the yatra,” Venugopal said. In the same invite, the AICC general secretary in charge of organization has also urged the top central and state leaders to attend the party’s big rally over price rise at Delhi’s iconic Ramlila Ground on September 4, to be addressed by Rahul.
The Delhi rally, followed by the yatra launch, is being seen as the grand old party’s major show of strength against the BJP and the Modi government’s policies. The AICC communication for the two mega shows has come a day after the resignation of veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad rattled the Congress rank and file. As the news of Azad’s resignation letter in which he hurled charges at Rahul Gandhi broke, the party managers initially reacted with caution, questioning only the timing of the move.
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As the day progressed, the knives were out as Azad came under heavy attack not only from official party spokespersons but from several veterans like Mallikarjun Kharge, Digvijay Singh, Tariq Anwar, Shakti Sinh Gohil, V Narayansamy, Shakeel Ahmed, Avinash Pande, Rajieev Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Rajni Patil, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and several others.
As the day came to a close, Congress communications in charge Jairam Ramesh noted that if Azad and his remote control thought that his resignation would destabilize the Sep 4 rally on price rise and Sep 7 Bharat Jodo Yatra, they were grossly mistaken.
“The resignation has further strengthened our resolve,” Ramesh said. Shortly thereafter, party’s media chairman Pawan Khera issued the first list of state-wise media and publicity coordinators for the Bharat Jodo Yatra saying “Azad or no Azad, the Congress organizational machinery moves ahead with determination.”
