The Congress’s ambitious Bharat Jodo Yatra, to be led by Rahul Gandhi, might not travel through Gujarat and the party is likely to bring in a professional marketing communication team to build up the campaign that starts from Kanyakumari on September 7.
While Sonia Gandhi’s presence is uncertain at the initial phase, after she has tested positive for Covid-19, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be among the thousands to walk from Kanyakumari, party functionaries said. Ahead of the march, Rahul Gandhi might visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari.
The first pan-Indian march of the Congress in Independent India will also have a logo and slogans, that are currently being finalised. The march, initially planned from October 2, is likely to end mid-December in Kashmir.
The central planning group for the coordination of the march, led by former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digivijaya Singh, deliberated several routes and options to cover as many states in the limited time frame. “We tried to include Gujarat, but then it would have required a longer schedule,” a leader said, seeking anonymity.
The party is in talks with Teen Bandar, a professional communication firm, to spruce up the social media campaign of the yatra, another functionary said, declining to be named. Such collaborations with outside agencies usually happens during elections, but given the political and social significance of the yatra, the party has decided to use an agency apart from its own set up.
{{/usCountry}}The party is in talks with Teen Bandar, a professional communication firm, to spruce up the social media campaign of the yatra, another functionary said, declining to be named. Such collaborations with outside agencies usually happens during elections, but given the political and social significance of the yatra, the party has decided to use an agency apart from its own set up.
{{/usCountry}}A number of leaders have also suggested that Rahul Gandhi should visit the Vivekananda Rock memorial at India’s southernmost tip when he arrives in Kanyakumari. “Gandhi’s presence at the memorial of Swami Vivekananda is bound to send out a significant message,” a leader said. “Also, the rock memorial is the biggest attraction in Kanyakumari.”
The central planning group for the coordination of the march, the Congress party’s biggest non-electoral campaign, will have Digvijaya Singh, Sachin Pilot, Shashi Tharoor, Ravneet Singh Bittu, KJ George, Jothi Mani, Pradyut Bordoloi, Jitu Patwari, and Saleem Ahmed as its members.
States such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab are likely to be covered during the march, two senior leaders involved in the planning said.