To spread word on Cong ideology, its role in freedom movement to resurrect party

Adamant on his decision to quit the office of the Congress president, Rahul Gandhi is planning to undertake a countrywide padyatra to revive the party.

While he awaits the decision of the Congress Working Committee to zero in on a new chief outside the Nehru-Gandhi family, sources confirmed that the Gandhi scion will hit the roads to spread significance of the Congress ideology, its nation building agenda and the role of the party in the freedom movement.

“We believe that each household across the nation has a Congressman (either elders or young) and they have to be engaged to catapult

the party to regain its glory,” said a very senior Congress leader.

Sources said Rahul will handpick a mix of young and senior leaders to assist himself in the padyatra the modalities of which will be planned shortly. Then Congress president Sonia Gandhi too had hit the roads in run up to Lok Sabha polls in 2004 to take on the might of Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA Government. Sonia led the party to an impressive win in 2004.

“After the appointment of party chief and working presidents he (Rahul) will be free from the routine meetings and party works and will focus only on connecting with the people of the country. He realises that people across the country share a deep historic bond with the Congress, and all that he needed was to touch a chord with their heart to revive the Congress,” said a senior Congress leader.

This is the reason Rahul has insisted there is no going back on his decision to quit, despite requests by leaders from his party and outside to continue in the post. “Given his plan to undertake this massive exercise to connect with the masses, it is obvious that come what may, Rahul will not withdraw his resignation as the party president,” said a senior leader.

Congress leaders also feel that despite party’s flop show in the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul has gained tremendous sympathy and he could cash in on it by casting himself in the role of a man of the masses.

After Rahul announced his decision to quit, many leaders of State units have followed suit and till Saturday evening about 200 office-bearers had resigned. Over a dozen office-bearers of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee resigned from their posts on Saturday continuing the spate of resignations in the party following its Lok Sabha election debacle.

Amid the spate of resignations, the party said the entire organisation, in one voice, wants its president Rahul Gandhi to continue in the post.

At a Press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said many party leaders have resigned, but the prevailing sentiment is that Rahul should continue as the party president.

He parried queries about why several senior party leaders had not quit their position, insisting that “people have different ways of expressing their request” which is that, he added, Rahul should remain the Congress chief.

Several office-bearers of the Congress, including its general secretary incharge of Madhya Pradesh Dipak Babaria and Goa unit chief Girish Chodankar, had resigned on Friday.