Rahul Gandhi to take part in Punjab Cong's padyatra

New Delhi, June 4: Congress today began the exercise of setting its house in order in Punjab with PCC chief Pratap Singh Bajwa meeting Rahul Gandhi and the latter agreeing to participate in a padyatra starting October 2 in the state.

AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who is in charge of party affairs in Punjab, also had a meeting with the Congress vice president and discussed with him the party's revival plan in the state.

Former state chief minister Amarinder Singh will be meeting Rahul tomorrow amid indications by party sources that the high command has started streamlining its unit in Punjab.

Punjab Congress has been faction ridden with Bajwa at loggerheads with Amarinder. The party has been out of power for eight years and Assembly polls in the state are slated in early 2017.

After the meeting, Bajwa said that Rahul will join the padyatra in Punjab, launched by him to connect with the weaker sections of society.

"Rahul Gandhi would join the padyatra being organised by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from October 2 after the conclusion of the on-going programme to interact with the people in the 34 reserve Assembly constituencies to mobilise people against the degenerated and corrupt rule of the Akali Dal-BJP alliance in the state," a statement from Bjawa said.

Rahul also approved PPCC's mass contact programme in the state which Bajwa said was launched with a focus on dalits and weaker sections in particular across all the reserve constituencies, while every section of the society would be covered.

Gandhi gave a green signal to Bajwa to go ahead with the programme launched from Sri Hargobindpur on June 2 and would conclude on September 28. The programme is designed for direct interaction of Bajwa with every section of the society in that constituency with emphasis on informality.

Two sessions are to be held in the same village to be finalized from each constituency on the same day.

Bajwa said Gandhi would join the padyatra to be launched by the PPCC from October 2 from Pathankot to cover the entire state in six phases. In each phase the yatra will be done for 15 days.

The padyatra would conclude at Amritsar after covering about 1,000 km. He also briefed Congress vice President about the drugs issue agitation and cited the Moga bus molestation case and how PPCC took up the issue to the streets.

PTI