Amidst political machinations and factionalism in the state polity, the Congress leadership in Uttarakhand is rousing its cadre after an apparently carelessly made statement by Bharatiya Janata Party state chief and leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, Ajay Bhatt. Apart from the Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay, various office-bearers and spokespersons of the party at various levels in Uttarakhand have been busy in condemnation of Bhatt’s purportedly offensive statement during the past couple of days. Observers point out that at a time when the Congress was tackling internal differences and other organisational issues, the ‘derogatory’ statement has provided adequate fuel for political spin doctors to consolidate the party’s cadre for enhancing the expected impact of the Vikas Sankalp campaign slated to be conducted in all assembly constituencies of the state by the Congress in September.
According to the PCC chief spokesman Mathura Datt Joshi, the PCC chief Kishore Upadhyay will preside over an organisationally important meeting on September 3. All the office bearers of PCC, party cells and representatives of frontal organisations have been directed to ensure their attendance in the meeting to prepare for the Vikas Sankalp Yatra campaign.
As directed by the PCC chief, party leaders and cadre led by chief minister Harish Rawat and the PCC chief will undertake the Vikas Sankalp Yatra campaign in each of the 70 Vidhan Sabha constituencies falling under the five lok Sabha constituencies of Uttarakhand. The intended purpose of this campaign is to raise public awareness on the various developmental achievements and welfare measures undertaken by the Congress-led State Government.
The campaign will also elicit focus of the voters on the allegedly discriminatory stance of the BJP-led Union Government towards the developmental and other requirements of Uttarakhand. Political observers point out that in the run-up to the campaign, the Congress is also attempting to make the most of Bhatt’s purportedly derogatory statement for galvanizing its cadre which had been affected by political fluctuations after nine party MlAs joined the BJP.