Express News Service
NEW DELHI: As Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra began its Kerala leg on Sunday from Thiruvananthapuram, the party received both bouquets and brickbats for its 19-day stay in the state.
Though Congress leader Rahul Gandhi received a rousing welcome from supporters and party leaders, some in the ruling CPM feel that the grand old party should have focused its energy more on the BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat instead of spending over two weeks in Kerala, where the saffron party’s presence is negligible.
During the Kerala schedule, Rahul is scheduled to travel 450 km, before entering Karnataka on Sept. 30, where he will spend 21 days before moving north.
Speaking to this daily, a CPM leader said that if the Congress is determined to fight BJP’s divisive politics as it claims, then the yatra should be traversing for a longer time through Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat.
According to the schedule, Rahul will be in Uttar Pradesh for two days, while Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where elections are scheduled for later this year, will be skipped.
Responding to the criticism, former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Veerappa Moily said, “It is not an election campaign to travel through Gujarat or Himachal. The objective is to unite people from north to south irrespective of caste, class or religion. It’s against BJP’s divisive policies.”
However, the CPM leader said that contrary to its claims, Congress is only looking to retain its 19 Lok Sabha seats in 2024.
“The Congress wants to consolidate its position in the south. The yatra is not about fighting the BJP or its anti-people policies. The real test lies in the north and Congress doesn’t want to face it,” he said.
Out of the 53 seats of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, 24 are from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Congress got 19 out of 20 seats in Kerala. Countering the allegations, Moily said that though BJP has zero seats in Kerala, the party harbours a broader purpose against divisive politics.
“It’s not about Congress being strong or weak in a state, the message of national integration should be spread in the entire country,” he added.
The tour began on Sept 7 and will cover 3,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 150 days, moving through 12 states. Explaining the reason for the time allocated to different states, Moily said it’s an arduous task to cover the entire country “It will require a year,” he said.
Speaking about the row over Rahul’s meeting with a pastor in Tamil Nadu, he said the BJP is creating controversies out of thin air.
NEW DELHI: As Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra began its Kerala leg on Sunday from Thiruvananthapuram, the party received both bouquets and brickbats for its 19-day stay in the state.
Though Congress leader Rahul Gandhi received a rousing welcome from supporters and party leaders, some in the ruling CPM feel that the grand old party should have focused its energy more on the BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat instead of spending over two weeks in Kerala, where the saffron party’s presence is negligible.
During the Kerala schedule, Rahul is scheduled to travel 450 km, before entering Karnataka on Sept. 30, where he will spend 21 days before moving north.
Speaking to this daily, a CPM leader said that if the Congress is determined to fight BJP’s divisive politics as it claims, then the yatra should be traversing for a longer time through Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat.
According to the schedule, Rahul will be in Uttar Pradesh for two days, while Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where elections are scheduled for later this year, will be skipped.
Responding to the criticism, former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Veerappa Moily said, “It is not an election campaign to travel through Gujarat or Himachal. The objective is to unite people from north to south irrespective of caste, class or religion. It’s against BJP’s divisive policies.”
However, the CPM leader said that contrary to its claims, Congress is only looking to retain its 19 Lok Sabha seats in 2024.
“The Congress wants to consolidate its position in the south. The yatra is not about fighting the BJP or its anti-people policies. The real test lies in the north and Congress doesn’t want to face it,” he said.
Out of the 53 seats of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, 24 are from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Congress got 19 out of 20 seats in Kerala. Countering the allegations, Moily said that though BJP has zero seats in Kerala, the party harbours a broader purpose against divisive politics.
“It’s not about Congress being strong or weak in a state, the message of national integration should be spread in the entire country,” he added.
The tour began on Sept 7 and will cover 3,500 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 150 days, moving through 12 states. Explaining the reason for the time allocated to different states, Moily said it’s an arduous task to cover the entire country “It will require a year,” he said.
Speaking about the row over Rahul’s meeting with a pastor in Tamil Nadu, he said the BJP is creating controversies out of thin air.
