Rahul Gandhi’s 3,570-km ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, beginning on Wednesday with an aim to unite the lost vote bank, received a major setback here in Uttar Pradesh as veteran leaders were kept aside from the programme.
Sources said that the core team of Congress general secretary incharge Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi ensured that no invite was sent to the party’s old guards and only those close to them should be made part of the ambitious plan of Rahul Gandhi.
Interestingly, UP continued to be the home turf for the Gandhi family and all the family members from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Rahul Gandhi. Rahul represented Amethi before he lost the last elections to Smriti Irani.
UPCC sources said that the veteran party leaders have neither been informed nor invited to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.
The contingent from Uttar Pradesh mainly includes Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s personal secretary Sandip Singh, Amethi Seva Dal president Ram Baran Kashyap, UPCC minority department chairman Shahnawaz Alam, UPCC Fishermen Congress chairman Devendra Nishad and UPCC secretary (Unnao incharge) Pratibha Atal Pal.
A party leader said: “We have three categories of Yatris — Bharat padyatri (who will accompany Rahul all along the route), guest padyatri (who will join for a brief period) and state padyatri (who will accompany Rahul in their respective states). There are 14 Bharat yatris from Uttar Pradesh.”
‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is expected to reach Bulandshahr from Rajasthan and leave for Delhi on its way to Jammu and Kashmir.
As the yatra is expected to remain in the state for two-and-a-half days, the party proposes to undertake four to five small yatras covering the length and breadth of the state, which will merge at Bulandshahr.
Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ said: “The state party will undertake smaller yatras in different regions to receive the main yatra in Bulandshahr. The main yatra will be undertaken in two parts.”
Meanwhile, veteran party leaders are upset once again at being ignored. A former UPCC president said: “What is the point of remaining in a party that does not even recognise your presence? The least we expected was an invite for the yatra at some point. The members of the contingent are all members of Priyanka’s coterie and if the Congress wants to depend on them for the future, it is time for us to move on.”