Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Former Indian National Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to arrive for the third time in Mahakal City on November 29 during the past 12 years. However, it is an interesting fact that he is visiting all those places where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited earlier or he will visit to such places in the near future.
After performing pujan-abhishek at one of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples of the country at Omkareshwar-Mamleshwar couple of days ago along with Priyanka Vadra, RaGa is all set to pay obeisance to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlingam, here on Tuesday afternoon. He had done a similar exercise in November 2010 and October 2018, respectively, as well. This time he is coming in view of his country-wide ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which began from Kanyakumari on September 7 and after covering a distance of more than 3500 km during about 150 days it will conclude in Srinagar (Kashmir) with tricolour hoisting on January 26, next year.
According to observers, though primarily the route of the Bharat Jodo Yatra has been decided keeping in mind the continuous connectivity, special focus has been given on consolidating support-base of the Congress party pan-India. After beginning and traversing through the southern states, RaGa’s rally entered the western states and now through central states it will enter the northern states, too. “Besides strengthening its bases in the traditional belt, the Congress strategists have also kept SC/ST and Muslim voters of the central and northern states in consideration,” the observers said.
RaGa is raising separate issues in different regions and states and the controversy that erupted over Veer Savarkar or Tantya Bheel Mama were part of such strategy so that the RSS and particularly BJP and its governments at the Centre and the state can be put on dock. The more significant aspect of the Yatra pointed out by the observers is that RaGa is going at all those places where PM Modi had visited in the recent past at least in Madhya Pradesh. Modi has visited Indore a couple of times and he will be visiting Omkareshwar early next year. Modi has recently visited Ujjain where he dedicated Shri Mahakal Lok project to the people on October 11. Interestingly, RaGa is scheduled to take a halt at Ninora on Tuesday and will then perform worship of Lord Mahakal in Ujjain. The Yatra which is passing through six districts of MP are mostly SC/ST dominated areas. By touching the sentiments of general category with a visit to two of the Jyotirlingas of the state, efforts are being made to carve out maximum political mileage out of the Yatra, the observers said.
