Days after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the heads of 23 like-minded political parties, inviting them to join the concluding function of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on January 30, the party on Friday for the first time said the outreach was in the context of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress communication department head Jairam Ramesh said outreach to Opposition parties was never the aim of the yatra but it could now be the result of the movement. “We never said the aim of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was outreach. Outreach could be the outcome of the Bharat Jodo Yatra… That let there be an outreach and let’s begin a long relationship that should be there till 2024,” he said. He hoped all the parties who had been invited would send their representatives to the event. “You will see the meeting in Srinagar on 30th. The aim (of the meeting) is that Bharat Jodo Yatra is over… What is the next step to be taken in the context of the 2024 elections? There will be some discussions on that,” Ramesh said while addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters. He also hit out at Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar for his comments on the judiciary in the context of the Kesavananda Bharati case saying it was part of a “game plan to orchestrate a confrontation”. Ramesh pointed out that Dhankhar’s predecessor M Venkaiah Naidu had in 2020 said the Constitution is supreme and none of the State organs — Parliament, legislature or judiciary — is supreme over the other. “Different voices are being raised. It is one thing to have a committed judiciary, but, if the objective is to have a captured judiciary, then democracy is under threat. This is part of a game plan to orchestrate a confrontation,” Ramesh said. Referring to the Supreme Court's verdict in the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati versus state of Kerala case, he said every political party has over the last 50 years upheld the verdict. “I have heard Atal Bihari Vajpayee speaking in favour, (Lal Krishna) Advani speaking in favour, Arun Jaitley speaking multiple times on how the Kesavananda Bharati case is a milestone. The Kesavananda Bharati (case) is probably the single most important decision ever handed down by the Supreme Court (and) is being attacked by the Vice-President. One constitutional functionary is attacking another Constitutional institution. It is an extraordinary situation,” he said. Ramesh also released a letter written by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which the party plans to distribute during its Haath se Haath Jodo campaign beginning January 26. In the letter, Rahul has argued that there is a palpable economic crisis brewing and a deep sense of hopelessness across the country. “Today, even our plurality is under threat. Divisive forces are attempting to turn our diversity against us — different religions, communities, regions are being pitted against each other. These forces, which are only a handful in number, know that only when people feel insecure and scared can they sow the seeds of hatred for the 'other'. But after this yatra, I am convinced that this vicious agenda has its limits, and it cannot go on any longer. I will fight to eradicate these evils — from the streets to Parliament, every single day,” he wrote. “I am determined to create economic prosperity for everyone — right price for farmers' produce, jobs for our youth, fair distribution of the country's wealth, an enabling environment for MSMEs and entrepreneurs, cheaper diesel, a stronger rupee, and a gas cylinder for Rs 500. The people of our country realise that we cannot reach our full potential unless we embrace our diversity and work shoulder to shoulder. I strongly believe that India will reject hatred. We will rise above caste, religion, language, gender, and all other differences that cause rifts in society,” he added.
