BENGALURU: The Congress party’s much touted ‘Bharat Jodo Padayatra’, a campaign that is being seen as “make or break”, may come as a welcome boost to the Karnataka state unit of the party ahead of next year’s assembly elections.
The Karnataka leg of the padayatra will be crucial since it comes in an election year, and with internal strife dominating the news. The state unit of the party is expected to put up a united front during the padayatra and former AICC president and Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, will become a rallying point to mount a challenge.
Party sources say the padayatra will have “local flavour” with saffronisation of textbooks and the row that it kicked up being a highlight. The yatra is expected to enter Karnataka towards the end of October, considering that it will begin from Kanyakumari on October 2.
“While we will keep the larger Bharat Jodo campaign in mind, we will incorporate a little local flavour because of the 2023 elections,” one party functionary said. “The insult to Kuvempu, controversy surrounding Basavanna and sidelining of Ambgara Chowdayya and others will become a focal point of how BJP is trying to divide society. ”
Senior members say the Kar- nataka leg will comprise 27 or 28 days and three routes are being explored. While one is through Chamarajanagar, the other two are via Kolar and Hosur. All three pose their own challenges.
The Chamarajanagar route has a reserved forest belt that cuts across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and a large contingent walking through it poses a problem, while the Old Madras Road and Hosur route both have national highways with heavy traffic movement.
“We are trying to avoid national highways as it may have a negative bearing if we cause traffic chaos and halt movement of people and goods,” said a senior functionary. However, politically, an entry through Kolar will strengthen the party’s prospects in the district that is potentially looking at former chief minister Siddaramaiah as a possible candidate. Rahul’s once close confidante Krishna Byregowda is also likely to contest from there.
Meanwhile, sources say Rahul is likely to be accompanied through the padayatra by 75 people to mark the 75th year of Independence of the nation. The yatra will cover 25 kilometres every day and one big challenge for state leaders like Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar will be to match Rahul’s fitness.
However, one party functionary said: “Our leaders have the experience of walking up to Ballari, although they did this 10 years ago, and from Mekedatu to Bengaluru recently. We should be able to complete the padayatra. ”
