Led by All-India Congress Committee general secretary and Haryana in-charge Ghulam Nabi Azad, members of the newly-formed Co-ordination Committee of Haryana, headed by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, embarked on a six-day “Parivartan Yatra” across the State starting at Gurugram ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Political analysts see the yatra as an attempt by the State party unit to put up a united front ahead of the polls with Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, party’s national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala and Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhary on the committee. While the differences between Mr. Hooda and Mr. Tanwar camps have been out in the open, Mr. Surjewala is also among the probables to be the next Chief Minister in case the party returns to power.
To seek people’s support
Talking about the yatra, Mr. Hooda said that he and his colleagues from the party had embarked on the journey to seek people’s support and bring an end to their misery. “Congress is the only party that can defeat the BJP,” he said, seeking public support for change while addressing the gathering at several places en-route the yatra.
“The BJP claims to preach- Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas . But in a recent incident in Gurugram where several members of a family were brutally beaten up shows us the real and scary face of BJP’s poor governance in the State,” he said. He added that changes in the metro route and their activities in Aravali showed how honest the BJP was.
Talking about the Congress agenda, Mr. Hooda said the party would implement the Swaminathan Commission report in letter and spirit. “The Congress had promised loan waiver for farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and fulfilled the promise within two days of coming to power. We do what we promise,” he said.
Earlier, the leaders were welcomed on the Delhi-Gurugram border at the beginning of the yatra before they reached Rajiv Chowk around 10 a.m. and later addressed a gathering of cadres at roadside in Badshahpur.
Caste, community divide
Mr. Azad, who returned after a few brief addresses in Gurugram, said the ruling BJP had come to power by dividing the people of Haryana in the name of caste and community and the party continued to walk the same road. “It is time to teach a lesson to the BJP which has sown seeds of discord,” he said.
He added the BJP had destroyed the farmers, duped the youth in name of jobs. “Demonetisation and GST have destroyed not just the small businesses and industries, every citizen has suffered from the two schemes. The people of the country have gained nothing from the empty promises of the BJP government except greater social divisions,” he said.
After Sohna, the yatra travelled through Nuh, Tauru, Daruhera, Bawal, Naiwali, Kund, Ateli and Mirzapur before culminating for the day at Narnaul.
