By Siddharth Sharma |
New Delhi [India], December 27 (ANI): After the ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is to culminate in Srinagar on January 26, the Congress is gearing up to launch the ‘Haath Se Haath Jodo’ campaign, which is aimed at spreading the message of the yatra across the country. According to sources, the former Congress national president has entrusted sister and AICC national general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with the responsibility of leading the ‘Haath Se Haath Jodo’ campaign across the country, with a special focus on women.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, “After the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress will launch a two-month ‘Hath Se Hath Jodo Campaign’. As part of this initiative, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will lead foot marches and rallies with women members in every state capital to spread the message of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.”
Sources further informed that Priyanka will lead a wave of marches with women cadres in March, focussing on rising inflation and its impact on the public, especially the middle class. Other issues related to women will also be a top rallying point.
While the Congress campaign, with Priyanka as its face, is aimed at wooing women voters, who comprise roughly half of the country’s population; she will also lead a massive women’s rally where she will unveil a separate party manifesto for the opposite sex.
According to sources, the manifesto will feature populist promises, targeting women. It is understood that suggestions are being sought from the party’s women’s units across states on the promises to be incorporated in the women’s manifesto.
Also, during the women’s march, which will see participation of the party’s women cadre across states, their opinion will be sought for and incorporated in the manifesto. Earlier, in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Priyanka, who was then the party’s general secretary in charge of UP, had peddled a similar ‘Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon’ campaign. Under this campaign, the party had unveiled a separate manifesto, promising scooties for girls if voted to power.
The party had also awarded 33 per cent of its Assembly poll tickets to women but the move failed to fetch the grand old party the desired electoral dividend. The Congress fared abysmally in the UP Assembly polls, winning just 2 of 403 seats. Earlier on Monday, the Congress AICC general secretary in-charge, organisation, Venugopal and AICC in-charge, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajani Patil met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for discussions on the last leg of the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in the Union Territory.
According to an official release, the meeting lasted over half-an-hour. (ANI)
