BJP works out details of Advani's proposed yatra

New Delhi, Sep 11 (PTI) The proposed yatra of veteran
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L K Advani against
corruption was Sunday discussed by the party's Core Group and
national office-bearers and the detailed plan would be
announced later this week.
BJP Core Group, comprising seniormost leaders of the
party, met at Advani's residence to discuss the yatra
announced by the senior leader in Lok Sabha (lower house of
Indian parliament) on September 8.
Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said general
secretary Ananth Kumar has been made the Convenor of the yatra
and complete details of the campaign - the place of origin,
route, and who all will accompany Advani - were being worked
out. It will be made public later this week.
A meeting of BJP's office-bearers from across the country
was held separately at the residence of party president Nitin
Gadkari where Advani's proposed yatra was also discussed at
length.
Party sources said October 2 - Mahatma Gandhi's birth
anniversary - and October 11 - Jaiprakash Narayan's birth
anniversary - were the two tentative dates being suggested for
launching the yatra.
Advani often highlights in his speeches his experiences
during the Emergency days and refers to the present political
scenario, especially the attitude of the Congress-led United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government which, he says, reminds
him of the 1970s.
Another prospective date being worked out is September 25
- the day when he began his Ram Rathyatra from Somnath to
Ayodhya. He visits Somnath every year on this date.
The starting point of the yatra is also a matter of debate
with Somnath, Ahmedabad and Porbandar being some of the places
under discussion.
In the three-hour long morning meeting, there were
suggestions that there should be breaks in the yatra during
festivals such as Dussehara and Diwali. The yatra is likely to
cover roughly 6000 km.
While Advani is of the view that it should focus on "clean
politics good governance", some senior leaders of BJP were of
the view that it should be an anti-corruption yatra as the
issue would catch more attention at a time when the country
was facing so many scams.
BJP leaders from poll-bound states like Punjab,
Uttarakhand, Goa and Uttar Pradesh want that the yatra should
also pass through these states but some of the top brass
central leaders do not favour the idea. Advani himself has
indicated that he may avoid these states.
83-year-old Advani's surprise announcement of undertaking
a yatra across the country is also being seen as an attempt by
him to get a grip over the party.
Gadkari had recently said the party will not declare its
Prime Ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha elections
and the decision would be taken after the polls.
Meanwhile, in his address at the office-bearers' meeting,
Gadkari raised several issues, including government's
"failure" to control prices, fight terrorism and corruption.
"The credibility of UPA has hit rock bottom.... The
government has failed to read the popular mood on corruption.
Display of arrogance and police power cannot be a response to
corruption. We commit ourselves to creating a mechanism where
corruption at all levels is penalised and punished," Gadkari
said.