GUWAHATI: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh announced on Friday that the party would begin the "Assam Jodo Yatra," the Assam counterpart to the "Bharat Jodo Yatra," on November first.
The Congress leader added that Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, will not be able to scuttle the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra.
"Congress won't relent, no matter how hard Sarma attempts to sway the party's MLAs. We don't care if any MLAs defect from the party, as Sarma previously did "said Ramesh.
Sarma should focus on working for Assam's welfare rather than worrying about the Congress, he said.
Sarma had previously criticised Rahul Gandhi and suggested that he begin the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Pakistan, claiming that Congress was to blame for the country's Partition.
In this context, Ramesh told reporters that the BJP's reign had divided the nation. "The nation is dealing with significant economic inequality, social polarisation, and power centralization, which have... caused massive splits among diverse sections of the community," he said.
"People today disagree on matters of religion, culture, and even eating habits. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has seized the authority of state governments, "Ramesh asserted.
The senior party official also made a hint regarding the Congress' intention to start the Bharat Jodo Yatra's second phase from Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat in 2019.
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