Punjab Congress wants Rahul to join 45-day march

CHANDIGARH - The Youth Congress in Punjab is set to undertake a 45-day march to raise issues like drug addiction, terrorism and female foeticide next month. And it wants party general secretary Rahul Gandhi to join them.

Called the Nav Inqalab Yatra, it will start from neighbouring Mohali town Nov 1 and culminate Dec 15 at the commercial hub of Ludhiana, some 100 km from here.

“We will cover all 13 Lok Sabha constituencies and over 65 assembly seats during the yatra. We are also hopeful that Rahul Gandhi will join us during this yatra,” Ravneet Singh Bittu, Congress MP and state Youth Congress president, said here Monday.

“Punjab will be the fourth state, after Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Assam, to conduct this nationwide campaign. The idea is to reach the doorstep of every individual of the state; hear their grievances and disseminate party policies and principles among the masses,” said Bittu, grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and first-time MP from Anandpur Sahib constituency.

Bittu said they have zeroed in on 10 main issues to raise during the yatra. These include the revival of terrorism, non-utilisation of central funds, drug-addiction, unemployment, female foeticide and financial mismanagement in the state.

“The Punjab government has failed to extend benefits to the deserving beneficiaries of various central schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)…Banned terrorist outfits are once again trying to revive their movement, which is also of great concern,” he added.

Bittu said they would also make youth aware of projects like the NREGA, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Right to Information (RTI) Act during through their march.