BENGALURU: The All-India Congress Committee (AICC) on Tuesday appointed 26 senior Congress leaders as observers to oversee the Haath se Haath Jodo Abhiyan across the country which will be led by AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.
Prithviraj Chavan from Maharashtra has been given charge to oversee the planning and implementation of the yatra in Karnataka which is scheduled to begin in less than a week here.
The AICC said it is a follow-up to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. While Congress leaders from every other state figure in this list, the big surprise is that there is not a single leader from Karnataka who has made it to the list.
This non-inclusi on could be deliberate as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is from Karnataka, sources said. State Congress working president Eshwar Khandre said it is because the state is headed to the polls and every leader’s presence is important, considering that the poll notifications are expected in just about three months.
While the border issue with Maharashtra is brewing, the appointment of a former Maharashtra chief minister as in-charge of Karnataka has raised eyebrows. Congress sources explained that Chavan had served as state in-charge of Karnataka and that AICC Maharashtra state-in-charge HK Patil is from Karnataka.
Congress sources said Priyanka and team will arrive in Karnataka and go around the state, carrying the message of “inclusiveness and unity” and will hold padayatra and rallies to highlight issues specific to national unity. They will raise issues of unemployment and those related to women like inflation.
KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed explained that since the polls are so close, they will begin the yatra in January. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to culminate in Srinagar on Republic Day in Srinagar.