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Haryana: Brijendra launches Sadbhaav Yatra from Jind
Former Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan had earlier announced that he would not take part in the yatra saying that this yatra was not approved by AICC and was not the party’s official programme.
Former Hisar member of Parliament and vice-chairman of All India Congress’s foreign affairs committee Brijendra Singh on Sunday launched the “Sadbhaav Yatra” from Binain khap’s place of meeting in Danoda village in Jind’s Narwana assembly. Addressing the gathering, Brijendra Singh said that the yatra has been organised with an aim to ensure social harmony in the state.
“Haryana needs to be strengthened more than ever. We will reclaim the unity among all 36 communities, which will stand as a testament against the divisive politics of the BJP government,” he added.
Former Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan had earlier announced that he would not take part in the yatra saying that this yatra was not approved by AICC and was not the party’s official programme.
Brijendra’s father and former Union minister Birender Singh, Congress MP from Rajasthan’s Churu Rahul Kaswan, Kaithal MLA Aditya Surjewala, former minister Attar Singh Saini and state women wing chief Sudha Bhardwaj were present on the occasion and leaders close to former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda gave a miss by calling this yatra is not official programme of the party.
The father-son duo along with Congress workers will tour across 90 assembly segments over next six to seven months and cover a distance of 2,600 to 2,800 km. In the first phase, 14 constituencies—Narwana, Kalayat, Safidon, Jind, Julana, Narnaund, Uchana Kalan, Uklana, Barwala, Bawani Khera, Nalwa, Hansi and Hisa and Adampur will be covered. The first phase of the yatra will conclude at Adampur assembly segment.
Brijendra Singh said that the foot march across the 90 assembly segments will draw peoples’ attention to major national and regional issues, including vote chori (electoral malpractice), a failing foreign policy and international isolation, unemployment, paper leaks, poor law and order, agrarian distress, government employees’ grievances, flawed new army recruitment process and deterioration of democratic institutions under the BJP regime.
Former union minister and his father Birender Singh said that they will protest against those who try to divide Congress.
“The BJP government has brought the Agnipath scheme to shatter dreams of Haryana youths and farmers are struggling to get remunerative prices for their crops. Our aim is to restore brotherhood and BJP’s agenda is to divide people on caste and religious lines. BJP has no member of parliament from Muslim community this shows their biases,” the former minister and Congress veteran added.
Churu MP Rahul Kaswan accused the saffron party of neglecting core issues and focusing on divisive agendas which suit them for political mileage.
Reacting to Brijendra’s yatra, INLD national chief Abhay Singh Chautala said that after this yatra, one more faction will emerge in the Congress, adding the main opposition Congress leaders are undisciplined and they are unable to take on the ruling BJP.
Congress MP from Hisar Jai Prakash said that why the then BJP MP Brijendra (now in Congress) had not taken out yatra when the BJP government announced to implement three now repealed farm laws.
“He had to take out yatra that time. This is not the party’s official programme and I had not received any direction from party leadership to attend the yatra,” he added.
Brijendra Singh is the son of former Union minister Birender Singh and the father-son duo had quit the saffron party ahead of 2024 general polls and joined the Congress. Brijendra had lost the assembly elections last year with a thin margin of 32 votes from BJP’s Devender Chattar Bhuj Attri from Uchana assembly seat. He had taken voluntary retirement in 2019 and won the Hisar Lok Sabha election on BJP’s ticket.
