PANAJI
The Congress on Sunday held a yatra from Ribandar to the Azad Maidan in the capital seen as an attempt to invigorate its workers and supporters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Initiated by the Goa Pradesh Youth Congress (GPYC) and styled the Goa edition of the Rahul Gandhi inspired Bharat Jodo Yatra, it was attended by South Goa MP, Francisco Sardinha, Opposition Leader Yuri Alemao, MLAs Carlos Alvares Ferreira and Altone D'Costa, GPCC president Amit Patkar and several other leaders.
GPCC president, Amit Patkar has expressed confidence the BJP will be shown the door by the people in the Lok Sabha election in 2024 calling it the “Bhrasht Jumla Party" which is trying to divide the nation on grounds of religion and other diverse reasons.
Girish Chodankar said that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra was with the intention to unite the nation as ruling BJP is dividing people over religions and caste.
“There is frustration among youths as the unemployment rate is high in the state. Hence many joined us and I am confident that this force will further expose the deeds of the BJP,” he said.
Sardinha expressed happiness over the participation of a large number of youth. He said, Rahul Gandhi wants to unite the nation as ruling BJP is dividing the people.
"We want to expose this government and tell people how it has destroyed our nation. Unemployment is increasing and there is no control on inflation. We need to show the door to the BJP,” Sardinha said.
Others who addressed the participants at Azad Maidan where the yatra culminated included Richa Bhargava, the Indian Youth Congress Secretary in-charge of Goa, former GPCC chief Girish Chodankar, GPYC president and CCP councillor Joel Andrade, State Mahila Congress chief, Beena Naik and GPCC media cell in-charge Amarnath Panjikar.
Hit by the mass defection of eight of its eleven legislators in September last year, the Congress has since then struggled to recoup and regroup. The Yatra on Sunday is seen as the first State level effort to reinvigorate its rank and file to prepare for the 2024 general election.
