In its bid to come out of the trauma of worst-ever performance in lok Sabha elections last year, Gujarat unit of Congress is now trying hard to regain its lost glory in the State as the party has initiated ‘Jan Sampark Yatra’ in view of upcoming local body elections.
The local leadership of the Opposition party is being continuously criticised for not hitting ground zero to counter the ruling BJP in the State. However, under the leadership of Bharatsinh Solanki, who has been made president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) recently, the leaders of the oldest party finally seem to hit ground zero with specific strategy.
“Solanki made it a point to kick-start Jan Sampark Yatra from Hindu pilgrimage Ambaji to counter the saffron party. The second phase was also held at another Hindu pilgrimage Dakor. This sudden change in policy followed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Hindu religious places in Uttarakhand in April this year,” said a senior Congress leader.
It is a planned move to dilute BJP’s increasing influence on majority community that too in the home-State of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Former Union Minister in previous Manmohan Singh Government, Solanki is the son of ex-Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki. The remaining two phases of Jan Sampark Yatra are scheduled in Western Gujarat (Saurashtra) and South Gujarat. In fact, third phase will be started from Hindu religious town Dwarka in Saurashtra.
According to Congress spokesman Manish Doshi, the objective of Yatra is to bring harmony among party workers and solving their problems in front of senior party workers including Gujarat in-charge Gurudas Kamat. “In every region of the State, public rallies are also being organised to highlight the failure of BJP Government — in Centre as well as in Gujarat,” said Doshi.
However, the biggest challenge for the new GPCC president is to make Gujarat Congress free from different factions headed by senior leaders. In fact, in lighter vein Gujarat Congress is known as a party with ‘too many leaders and very few workers’. And one of the reason for worst ever debacle in lok Sabha elections was internal differences amongst the leaders, which led to poor selection of candidates.