New Delhi:
Congressional Sonia Gandhi, who today announced the party’s massive audience reach, threw a small “challenge” at her “seniors.” The party has planned a massive Kashmir to Kanyakumari “Bharat Jodo Yatra” starting on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on October 2.
“We will all participate in it. The Yatra aims to strengthen the bonds of social harmony that are under threat, to preserve the fundamental values of our constitution under pressure, and to address the daily concerns of millions of our people,” she said on the closing day of the three-day Chintan Shivir.
Then, in a self-mockery, Ms. Gandhi added: “We will all participate in it (the foot march). Seniors will have to find ways to accommodate seniors like me in this … about how to easily participate in yatra without going outside take a breath”.
Loud cheers and laughter greeted the comment from the 75-year-old, who has not been in good health for quite some time and has made few public appearances.
In 2016, kicking off Congress’ election campaign for next year’s parliamentary elections, Ms Gandhi was forced to leave a meeting midway through. Congress said she was suffering from dehydration. Two years later, she set out on the campaign trail in Karnataka, in the run-up to new parliamentary elections.
This time, she is expected to address a public gathering at Baneshwar Dham in Banswara in tribal southern Rajasthan. Elections will be held next year in the state in which the party is seeking a second term.
At the Chintan Shivir today, who ended her short speech on a personal note, Ms Gandhi said she felt she had spent an evening with her family. Then she added with a smile, “my bigger family,” to renewed cheers.
Then she added: “We will conquer, we will conquer, we will conquer – that is our determination, that is our Sankalp”.