Ramesh, Shastri to start 4th phase of Cong yatra today

Raipur, May 22, 2013

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh and AICC’s permanently invited member Anil Shastri will kick start fourth phase of Congress parivartan yatra by addressing a public rally at Bijapur on Thursday. The duo will attend another rally on the same day in Karali under Dantewada assembly constituency. 

This will be first time when Ramesh will attend any political event of the state Congress. Ramesh, who has frequently visited Chhattisgarh, especially Bastar ever since he got rural development portfolio, is keenly observing implementation of his department’s programmes in the tribal region. 

In doing so, he maintained distance from state party leaders and hence drew flak from the latter. Even Chhattisgarh Congress incharge BK Hariprasada and senior party leaders had complained against him to the high command for ignoring state unit’s complaints on grafts in MNGREA and appreciating BJP government. 

However, after a brief verbal spat between Ramesh and state Congress, everything is okay now as former has started showing extra concern for his party during his visits. The Congress now wants to encash Ramesh’s Bastar experience by inviting him to have his say against the government on the first day of the forth phase of the parivartan yatra. 

The party plans to strongly raise recent Edasmeta encounter, Pushp Steel case and of course grafts in MNREGA and other centrally-sponsored schemes. 

On May 24, union minister of state for agriculture and food processing industries Charandas Mahant will address public rally at Jagdalpur. On May 25, senior party legislator Ajit Jogi will attend party rally at Sukma under Konta assembly constituency. 

The AICC spokesperson and Chhattisgarh Congress incharge Bhakt Charandas will attend party rally at Sonarpal under Narayanpur Vidhan Sabha area on May 26. Veteran party leader Vidyacharan Shukla is likely to attend the yatra on May 28 or 29, informed Congress spokesperson Mahendra Chhabda.

In all the rallies, the PCC president Nandkumar Patel and senior Congress leaders will remain present. CLP leader Ravindra Choubey is said to be missing majority of the public meetings during fourth phase of the yatra as he would be busy in his pre-scheduled family programmes.

Cong will form govt in CG: Shastri 

AICC’s permanently invited member Anil Shastri arrived in state capital to participate in party’s parivartan yatra on Wednesday. While talking to scribes he said Congress had succeeded in conveying message to the public through parivartan yatra and would definitely form government in Chhattisgarh. 

On government’s vikas yatra he said the BJP had taken out vikas yatra in Karnataka too, but lost the assembly elections. He said neither Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s presence helped the BJP in Karnataka assembly polls nor his Chhattisgarh visit would change the equations for his party. 

On corruption, he said while the Congress-led UPA government took prompt action on graft charges, the BJP hesitated in taking action against its former president Nitin Gadkari when he was found involved in corruption.