P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader and former Union minister, on Saturday said there have been requests by members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that the party should have a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from east to west. He added that it is under consideration.
“There have been requests by members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that we should have a Bharat Jodo Yatra 2 from the east to the west. That matter is under consideration,” Chidambaram told the media at the first meeting of the reconstituted CWC in Hyderabad.
The Congress MP also said, “The CWC is deliberating on a draft resolution. The deliberations are still underway…We are discussing the situation in the country. Broadly, it can be divided into the political situation, the economic crisis that the country faces and the security threats both internal and external that are a great challenge to the country…”
“On the political situation, we believe that there is a challenge to the Constitutional and federal structure of the country. Federalism is being systematically weakened, state governments have been hampered, revenues to state governments have been denied or reduced and obstacles are placed in the way of state governments discharging their responsibilities,” the Congress leader said.
Speaking on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ move by the Centre, Chidambaram said it is an assault on the Constitution. “We reject it. It is an attack on federalism. It will require at least five Constitutional amendments. The BJP knows that it does not have the numbers to pass these Constitutional amendments. Yet if it puts forward this mirage of One Nation, One Election, it is only to divert attention from the pressing issues and to create a false narrative…”
Chidambaram also said there was no discussion on the Sanatana Dharma row at the CWC meeting. “The Congress is not willing to be drawn into any controversy on the Sanatana Dharma. We have maintained equal respect for all religions,” he said at the press briefing.
