After tribals, Congress aims to woo SC voters

Raipur, October 11

After holding two massive tribal conventions in Bastar and Sarguja divisions, Congress is now aiming to woo scheduled caste (SC) voters by taking out SC upliftment yatra in Chhattisgarh from Oct 13 to 31. The yatra will cover 73 SC-populated areas across the state.

According to information, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora will kick-start the yatra from Giroudpuri – the pilgrim centre of Satnami Samaj, by addressing a public rally. He will be accompanied by state Congress president Charandas Mahant, Congress legislators’ party leader Ravindra Choubey, former CM Ajit Jogi and others senior party leaders. 

The yatra will conclude in Janjgir-Chamapa where party’s national vice president Rahul Gandhi will address the rally.

Mahant and Choubey have reiterated that the party would instantly increase SC reservation quota to 16% after coming to power.

“The ruling BJP has deceived the SC members by slashing their reservation from 16% to 12%. The Congress will not brook this social injustice and is committed to give the SC people what they deserve,” the duo added.

They further said through yatra the party would tell SC members how the incumbent government was betraying them for past ten years on pretext of development.  

Prior to SC upliftment yatra, the Congress has taken out parivartan yatra and kalash yatra this year. The parivartan yatra commenced on April 12, 2013. Through this yatra, the party held rallies in different assembly constituencies and told people about scams and grafts surfaced under BJP reigme. The party also appealed to people to bring change in the state by giving it mandate in forthcoming assembly polls. The yatra got excellent response, especially in rural pockets.

On May 25, 2013, this yatra came to a halt when Maoists attacked the yatra convoy at Jiram valley of Darbha region near Jagdalpur and killed over 30 people including senior Congress leaders.

 The parivartan yatra was followed by kalash yatra which started from July 04, 2013. Under this yatra, the party carried ashes of its slain leaders and reached every assembly constituency. This yatra too was greeted warmly by people and the party succeeded in gaining sympathy.

Now, after two successful yatras, it would be interesting to see how the Congress manages to pull crowd in its SC upliftment yatra as it has already opened its reservation card.