With an eye on Haryana Assembly polls, Selja announces state-wide padyatra with a focus on urban areas

With this padyatra, which will begin in the last week of July, party sources said Selja is also trying to convey her show of strength to the party high command ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections. In announcing a state-level event and bypassing the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), Selja has also indicated she has the backing of the party high command for her padyatra, they added.

While talking to The Indian Express, HPCC chief Udai Bhan said, “She is a general secretary in the AICC. She has announced her programme. It was not discussed with us, but it is good if she is taking out this padyatra. Wherever she will go, she will promote the Congress party and mobilise the party workers”.

“As far as the PCC is concerned, we are touring across the State. In the coming days, there shall be programmes of Member of Parliament Deepender Hooda ji, [Bhupinder] Hooda ji, and mine too. By the time we go to the Vidhan Sabha polls, we will have covered each and every Assembly constituency of Haryana. We are getting immense response from the people. Our worker-level meetings are getting converted into public rallies due to the enthusiasm among the people who have made up their minds to bring Congress to power this time,” Bhan added.

‘Decisive advantage’

Selja said through the padyatra, which will be conducted with hundreds of her supporters from across Haryana, people will be informed about the “misrule of the BJP”. “Through this yatra, the message of Congress’s National President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will be communicated to every urban voter. Additionally, people will be informed in detail about the misrule of the BJP’s 10 years,” Selja said.

The focus of the padyatra, Selja said, would be the urban Assembly areas in Haryana. “The main objective of the padyatra is to strengthen the Congress in urban Assembly areas compared to the BJP and gain a decisive advantage… With the Assembly elections approaching, Congress needs to focus on urban Assembly areas under a new strategy. Therefore, I have decided to conduct a padyatra in urban areas to strengthen the party,” she said

A study of the Lok Sabha election results done by the Congress party has shown that the BJP gained an edge in 44 Assembly areas in Haryana, most of which are urban.

Invoking Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the “biggest yatra in the history of the country,” the former Union minister said, “He travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Manipur to Maharashtra to fight for the common people. He talked to every section of society, understood their pain, and communicated the Congress message to them. Inspired by him, a Congress message yatra was conducted in Haryana in January-February, the result of which was clearly seen in the Lok Sabha elections. The people reduced the BJP to half.

“Congress party is not as weak in urban areas as BJP tries to show. Congress still has a strong workforce in the urban areas. They need to be united and infused with new energy. Rahul and Kharge’s message needs to be conveyed to them. Once the morale of urban workers is boosted, nothing can stop Congress from achieving a three-fourths majority in the state’s power,” Selja added.

She also pointed to the “heaps of problems in urban areas”. “Every third family is trapped in the vortex of Property ID. Every second family is entangled in the PPP mess. Shopkeepers and traders are terrified of extortion incidents. GST has ruined the business of small shopkeepers. There isn’t a single city where the sewerage system and drinking water arrangements are proper. Through the padyatra, people will be made aware of the anti-people decisions taken during BJP’s 10-year tenure,” she said.

The Congress leader said the route map and logistics of the padyatra are being finalised. “The route of the yatra will soon be announced to party workers through the media along with the exact date of its commencement. Some important responsibilities regarding this padyatra will also be assigned to the workers. For this, a workers’ meeting will be called,” Selja added.