Congress plans padayatras for Constitution

Adilabad: Congress leaders are set to embark on a state-wide campaign, dubbed the ‘Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyan, aimed at educating citizens about protecting the Indian Constitution. Beginning April 1, leaders will conduct padayatras — foot marches across various mandals — carrying the iconic ‘Red Book’, a copy of the Indian Constitution, to every corner of the state.

The initiative, organised under the banners “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” and “Samvidhan Rakshak Abhiyan,” will focus on highlighting the Congress party’s pivotal role in India’s independence, as well as the contributions of figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi. Congress leaders will also promote state government flagship programs during the campaign.

A delegation led by Asifabad DCC K. Vishwaprasad confirmed that the padayatra is scheduled from April 1 to 4, with routes meticulously planned to cover all gram panchayats within each mandal. Vishwaprasad, who will personally join the march in Lokari of Gadiguda mandal, emphasized the need to involve local communities, party frontal organisations, and local Congress MLAs to ensure maximum outreach. “Many young people are unaware of the Congress’ historic contributions to India’s freedom movement. We plan to change that through this campaign, including screening educational videos and distributing pamphlets,” he said.

The initiative is being closely coordinated by the Telangana AICC-in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, who is working with district-level committees and senior leaders to strengthen grassroots mobilization. Durgam Bhaskar, TPCC general secretary, overseeing similar programmes in 40 districts, described the padayatra as a mass contact drive aimed at educating people on the nation’s true history while countering what he described as divisive policies of the BJP.