No violation of RPA was done during Bharat Jodo Yatra, says Congress MP Jairam Ramesh after meeting ECI's members
Oct 10, 2022
New Delhi [India], October 10 : Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that no violation of the Representation of People's Act was done during Bharat Jodo Yatra.
While talking to media persons in Delhi, Ramesh said, "We met the members of the Election Commission and informed them that no violation of the Representation of People's Act was done during Bharat Jodo Yatra. We fail to understand why Election Commission has given us a notice on the complaint of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)."
"It is being said that children are used for election campaigns which are absolutely untrue. Rahul Gandhi is not asking children to vote for the party," he added.
Shashi Tharoor and Mallikarjun Kharge are up against each other in the race for the post of Congress President.
Digvijaya Singh pulled out from the race earlier and extended his support to Kharge, who he said is a senior and respected leader of the party, and against whom he "cannot think of contesting".
Singh was the second Congress leader to pull out of the race after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced he would not contest the elections following the political turmoil in his state.
With the Gandhis not running for the top post, the grand old party is all set to get a non-Gandhi president after over 25 years.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8. Voting will take place on October 17 and the election results will be declared on October 19.
The MP from Wayanad is currently leading Bharat Jodo Yatra- the 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, covering as many as 12 states. The Yatra started from Kanyakumari and will end in Kashmir the next year by covering 25 km every day.
According to Congress, the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is being held to combat the divisive politics of the BJP-led Centre and to awaken the people of the country to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation, and political centralization.
Notably, all the party MPs, leaders, and workers along with Rahul Gandhi are staying in containers. Sleeping beds, toilets, and ACs are also installed in some of the containers.
The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places.
The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles.
