The Hindu : BJP, Cong. plan 'rath yatras' to woo masses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 29, 2002

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BJP, Cong. plan 'rath yatras' to woo masses

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD JUNE 28. With the elections to the Gujarat Assembly round the corner, both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress have planned `rath yatras' to reach to the masses.

While the BJP has finalised the first phase of the "Gujarat Gaurav rath yatra'' to be led by the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, from July 4, the Congress is yet to give final touches to its `counter-rath yatra' programme.

But the pradesh Congress president, Amarsinh Chaudhary, said his party would follow the same route about a week later to "wash out'' the ruling party's impact from the minds of the people.

The BJP apparently has left the entire responsibility of refurbishing his image and that of the party's to Mr. Modi in the aftermath of the communal disturbances during which the Chief Minister was accused of being hand-in-glove with the Hindu militants in minority-bashing.

The party's State unit president, Rajendrasinh Rana, would accompany Mr. Modi during the `rath yatra'.

The party state general secretary, Nalin Bhatt, said here today that the details of the first three legs of the Chief Minister's programme had been finalised and that it would start from the holy town of Ambaji on July 4 after being given a send off by the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani.

The party's State executive had, at its meeting last week, requested Mr. Modi to spare three days every week to lead the `yatra'.

Accordingly, the first leg of the yatra beginning from Ambaji would cover all the four north Gujarat districts of Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana and Sabarkantha to terminate at Himmatnagar on July 7 after traversing 903 km.

The second leg of the yatra would begin from the Jain pilgrim centre of Palitana on July 13 and end at Somnath the next day covering 376 km through Bhavnagar, Amreli and Junagadh districts in the Saurashtra region.

The third leg would start from July 19 from yet another holy town of Unnai in Dangs-Vansda and cover 442 km through the south Gujarat districts to culminate at Surat on July 21.

Mr. Bhatt said the entire State would be covered in nine legs. Mr. Modi's `rath yatra' would touch about 125 of the 182 Assembly constituencies.

Different programmes would be formulated to cover the remaining constituencies.

Mr. Modi's `yatra' would conclude with a rally in Ahmedabad on August 26.

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BJP, Cong. plan 'rath yatras' to woo masses