Enthused by the success of Bharat Jodo Yatra, the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee is all set to hold 800-km yatra in the State. West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the yatra would start from Gangasagar on December 28. The month-long yatra would conclude in Darjeeling and district units had been accordingly informed to make necessary preparations.
According to the State Congress leadership, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh may participate in the yatra. The yatra is likely to arrive in Kolkata on January 2 and reach the State Congress headquarters Bidhan Bhawan on the same day. The yatra will not only target the BJP government at the Centre but also the Trinamool Congress government in the State.
“At the national level there is unemployment crisis and we are speaking against it, in the State also there is corruption and political favouritism. We will raise these issues at the yatra,” the State Congress president said.
Panchayat polls
This is a major political programme taken up by the West Bengal Congress in the past few years. The party, which played a key role in alliance with the Trinamool to remove the Left Front from power in 2011, does not have any representation in the Assembly. The Congress’s electoral understanding with the Left parties since 2016 has also not bore much fruit. The State Congress leadership has decided to organise the yatra at a time when panchayat polls are scheduled in the State. A section of the Congress leadership also feels that the yatra is aimed at the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has welcomed the yatra against the BJP and the Trinamool Congress. The State’s ruling party, however, raised questions on the timing of the yatra which will be held during the Ganga Sagar festival scheduled in the second week of January.
