Senior Congress chief Jairam Ramesh has rejected the BJP’s claims that the 2024 ballot outcomes are a foregone conclusion, saying “Tiger zinda hai” and that the opposition bloc will repeat the historical past of 2004 when the saffron get together was unseated from energy regardless of its ‘shining India’ marketing campaign.
In an interview with PTI, Mr. Ramesh asserted that solely a robust Congress can guarantee a robust Opposition and the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ is an effort to strengthen the grand previous get together.
On how the ballot preparations will probably be dealt with by the get together whereas additionally managing its east to west yatra, Mr. Ramesh stated a celebration organisation is in place and Rahul Gandhi can be a part of the marketing campaign regardless of his preoccupation with the yatra.
Rahul Gandhi off to Manipur for ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’
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ANI
“The yatra will end by the time polls start. I expect the elections to start somewhere, maybe in first week of April by which time the yatra would have been over. Meetings can always be held on Zoom. I don’t see it as a problem,” he stated, dismissing considerations that ballot preparations could also be hampered on account of Mr. Gandhi’s over 6,700 km Manipur to Mumbai yatra.
When requested in regards to the BJP’s narrative that 2024 ballot outcomes had been a foregone conclusion and what would he inform them, Mr. Ramesh, whereas borrowing from a preferred Hindi movie title, quipped, “Tiger zinda hai, that is my constant refrain” A number of BJP leaders have asserted {that a} third time period for Prime Minister Narendra Modi is definite in 2024 and the get together has set a goal of over 400 plus seats.
On whether or not he believes that the Indian Nationwide Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) can spring a shock within the 2024 basic elections, Ramesh stated, “All I can say is that in 2003, we lost Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, people wrote the Congress off, but in 2004, the Congress formed the government. India was shining at that time.” “History will repeat itself,” he instructed PTI on January 13 night.
Individuals will probably be moved extra by ‘anyay kaal’ (interval of injustice) of the final 10 years than the dream of ‘amrit kaal’, Mr. Ramesh stated.
“Amrit kaal is a dream, anyay kaal is a nightmare,” he added.
In 2004, the Congress got here again to energy main the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) authorities whereas the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA authorities misplaced the polls regardless of its high-decibel ‘shining India’ marketing campaign.
On whether or not the yatra will strengthen opposition unity with the Congress get together additionally inviting all INDIA bloc leaders to hitch in alongside its route, Ramesh stated, “A weak Congress cannot ensure a strong opposition. Only a strong Congress can ensure a strong opposition. This ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ is to strengthen the Congress.”
Speaking in regards to the want for a follow-up yatra after the Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra which was additionally led by Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Ramesh stated the yatra from Manipur is a continuation of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and is derived from the primary line of the Structure which assures to all individuals of India justice.
“There are four pillars to the Preamble: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. Now much of the Yatra had to do with liberty, equality and fraternity but now we are focusing on the first pillar which is mentioned in the first line of the Preamble- justice, economic, social and political,” the Congress basic secretary stated.
“So the main focus of this yatra is to take the Bharat Jodo Yatra forward with a focus on highlighting the last ten years which were not ‘amrit kaal’ but ‘anyay kaal’ and what is the Congress’ vision of ensuring political justice, economic justice and social justice,” he stated.
The yatra can be a means of connecting the management with inside get together organisation.
“We saw the results of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and I am not judging the results by what happened in Karnataka or Telangana. As I explained once, what it did was it brought about better connectivity for Rahul Gandhi and better collectivity for the organisation,” he stated.
So this connectivity and collectivity is essential for the organisation, he added.
“This (yatra) is going to have an electoral impact or not is not my primary concern. It is a yatra by a political party. It is an ideological yatra and not an electoral yatra,” he asserted.
Mr. Ramesh stated he’s not going to evaluate the yatra on what number of seats the Congress goes to win in 2024 polls.
“What Rahul Gandhi is attempting to do in this yatra is basically reinforce the ideological message of the Congress, to highlight various injustices that have been inflicted on people and articulate over the next 66 days what the Congress and what he sees is the specific agenda for ensuring economic, social and political justice,” he stated.
He stated the yatra can be about strengthening democratic establishments, liberating the nation from one-man rule and highlighting in what means injustices have been carried out to girls, farmers and youth.
“Yes, the Congress party is ideologically committed but it needs reinforcement from time to time, it needs communication from time to time and that is what he (Gandhi) is attempting to do,” Mr. Ramesh stated.
He stated it was not nearly setting the agenda for the 2024 polls however about setting the agenda for the nation’s politics and public discourse.
“Of course 2024 is an intermediate milestone that we have to pass.Ultimately we have to fight polls, we are not an NGO. But I’m not going to use that as a yardstick for determining what we are going to do as part of the yatra,” he pressured.
The yatra will traverse 6,713 km, largely in buses. It’s going to cowl 100 LS constituencies, 110 districts in 67 days, earlier than culminating in Mumbai on March 20 or 21.
