BJY not taken out to project Rahul as PM: Jairam

Karnal (Hry): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Bharat Jodo Yatra has not been organised to project Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, asserting that the foot march has nothing to do with elections.

The former Union minister also said Gandhi has succeeded in highlighting three big issues during the yatra — economic inequality, social polarisation and political authoritarianism.

Replying to a reporter's question here, the Congress general secretary in-charge communications said, "The Bharat Jodo Yatra has not been taken out to project Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate. It is an ideological yatra and Gandhi is its main face. But it is not an individual's yatra." He asserted that the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir foot march, which is currently passing through Haryana, is not an "election yatra". Ramesh said it is unfair to ask if the opposition party is projecting Gandhi as its prime ministerial face in the 2024 general election.

"No, No, No…. We are not, this is not an election yatra," he said in response to the reporter's question.

"There are 200 Bharat yatris. It is the Congress party's yatra. The party workers are involved. Obviously, the nation's attention is on Rahul Gandhi because he is the most visible, prominent and dynamic face of the yatra. But this is not meant for one individual, this is not meant to project him as a prime ministerial candidate," he said.

Flanked by former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ramesh said the yatra "is meant to ideologically combat the RSS and the BJP".

"Rahul Gandhi has raised three big issues during the Bharat Jodo Yatra — economic inequality, social polarisation and political authoritarianism. He is raising these issues everyday during his walking interactions, his talking interactions, in his corner speeches, in his rallies.