Combining Gandhian terminology of ‘satyagrah’ and modern technology, the Gujarat Congress is soon launching a Satyagrah App while simultaneously starting a door-to-door campaign in 27 Scheduled Tribe and 13 Scheduled Caste seats to make them aware of the “anti-backward class” policies of the BJP Government.
Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani and Congress SC Department Chairman Hitendra Pithadiya will head the campaigns in the seats reserved for the Dalits. South Gujarat legislator Anant Patel, who led the recent massive tribal protest forcing the government to scrap the controversial Par-Tapi-Narmada Riverlinking project, will head the Adivasi reach-out programme.
Gujarat Congress AICC in-charge, Dr Raghu Sharma, told VO! that the campaign would begin in the first week of June and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to kickstart the campaign and launch the Satyagrah App.
Sharma said the ‘Satyagrah App’ aimed to “boost the public connect of the party workers and assess the duties accomplished by concerned members.”
It might be recalled that Rahul Gandhi in his recent rally in the tribal district of Dahod had said the party is launching a “satyagrah for the protection of jal, jangal aur jameen (water, forests and land) of the Adivasis, which the present government is out to snatch from them.”
Raghu Sharma said, “This grassroots outreach campaign will be carried out by party volunteers, who will go door-to-door in their booth areas and use the Satyagrah App to record the details of each household and their grievances.”
Speaking to VO!, Dalit MLA Jignesh Mevani said, “The party hopes to reach 1 crore households in Gujarat ahead of the December elections. Along with Hitendra Pithadiya, I will be monitoring the SC reserved constituencies and other constituencies with fair enough Dalit voters.”
Gujarat Congress President Jagdish Thakor said the party would be ready to face the elections at any time. “We will assign the Satyagrah App to the party workers of each district and region-wise target the youth, women, Adivasis and farmers,” he said.
Thakor added, “Gradually we will cover all the 182 Assembly constituencies in the State with information highlighting the issues and needs of Gujaratis. The Congress party stands with the people of Gujarat”.
Aggressive tribal leader Anant Patel told VO!, “Our workers will go door-to-door in the Adivasi constituencies and give each tribal household an Adivasi patra (letter). They will then note down details of the households on the Satyagrah App”.
This new campaign action plan of the Gujarat Congress is the outcome of the ‘Udaipur Declaration’ which emerged from the party’s recent three-day national brainstorming session and Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at Udaipur in Rajasthan. The sessions concluded on May 13.
Read More About Congress: Kapil Sibal Quits Congress; Files Nomination For RS
