Cong to launch Bharat Jodo padyatra, soon have internal reform task force: Sonia

Udaipur, May 15 (IANS) Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday announced that the party will embark on a "Bharat Jodo" padyatra from October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and will also set a task force for internal reforms within a week.

An advisory body to advise the Congress President in day-to-day functioning will also be constituted, she said in her concluding remarks at last day of the party's three-day 'Chintan Shivir' (brainstorming camp) in this Rajasthan city.

"We will launch a national Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra from Gandhi Jayanti this year. All of us will participate in it. The Yatra is to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under stress, to preserve the foundational values of our Constitution that are under assault, and to highlight the day-to-day concerns of crores of our people," Gandhi said.

"A compact Task Force will be set up to drive the process of internal reforms that are essential and that has been discussed in different groups here at Udaipur. These reforms with focus on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will cover all aspects of the organisation including structure, rules for appointments to party posts, communications and publicity, outreach, finances and election management. The composition of the Task Force will be notified in the next two-three days," she added.

Gandhi said that an advisory group drawn from the Congress Working Commitee, the party's highest decision-making authority, that would meet regularly under her chairpersonship to discuss and deliberate upon political issues and challenges before the party.

"Of course, we do have the CWC that meets from time to time and that will continue. The new group is not, however, a collective decision-making body but will help me get the benefit of the vast experience of senior colleagues. It too will be notified very soon," she said.

Among other plans, the Congress chief said that Phase 2 of the district-level Jan Jagran Abhiyan, that had been launched earlier, will resume a month later on June 15.

"This extensive campaign will highlight economic issues especially the growing unemployment and intolerable price rise that is destroying livelihoods.

".. (This is) our determination. That is our NavSankalp (new resolution). The Congress will have a new Uday. That is our NavSankalp."