BJP to launch Gujarat Gaurav Yatra

BJP will take out "Gujarat Gaurav Yatra," in the state in run up to the assembly elections scheduled to be held in December this year.
This will be the second edition of "Gujarat Gaurav Yatra, as the then chief minister Narendra Modi had taken out a yatra with the same name before the 2002 state assembly elections.
Modi had undertaken the yatra after his government faced criticism at that time from various quarters for its handling of 2002 riots.
"Development and Gujarat have become synonyms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken out the Gujarat Gaurav yatra in the year 2002 after there were attempts to spoil the atmosphere of Gujarat.

"This time also some forces are trying to spoil the atmosphere here," State BJP president Jitu Vaghani told reporters here on the purpose of the campaign yatra.
"That time people had given us the chance to serve them and this time also I hope that it will be the same thing," he said without giving any details of who is trying to spoil the atmosphere this time for the BJP in Gujarat.

It may be noted that BJP is facing demand from the patidar community for reservations coupled with rural distress and anti-incumbency factor in the run up to the Gujarat polls.

Union railway minister Piyush Goyal giving details of the Gaurav Yatra said that it will start from October 1 and go on till October 15.
"It will be held on two routes simultaneously of which one will be led by deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and other will be lead by state BJP president Vaghani.
"Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will remain present in both the yatra on alternate days," Goyal said.
The phase one of the yatra will start from Karamsad, birth place of Sardar Patel on October 1, and will travel through districts of Central and North Gujarat.
BJP president Amit Shah will inaugurate the yatra.

Second phase will start on October 2 from Porbandar, birth place of Mahatma Gandhi, and will pass through Saurashtra and South Gujarat. Shah will also remain present for the inauguration of the yatra.
Prime Minister Modi and Shah will remain present on the concluding ceremony of the yatra the place for which is yet to be decided.
Various central leaders including Gujarat elections in-charge Arun Jaitley will address rallies at different places during the yatra.
Goyal said that it will cover 149 constituencies of the state out of total 182 and will travel 4,657 kms.
During the yatra leaders will address 138 public meetings, he said.