No plan to start Viksit Bharat Sankalp yatra in poll-bound states: Centre

Apurva Chandra, the Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said that the yatra will start in the poll-bound states- Telangana, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh- once elections are concluded.

"There is no plan to start the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp' yatra in poll-bound states where the model code of conduct is in place, the yatra will start in these states once elections are concluded," the Information and Broadcasting Secretary said.

'Viksit Bharat Sankalp' yatra will be launched on November 15 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Birsa Munda Jayanti. More than 2,500 IEC vans will cover 2.5 lakh gram panchayats and 3700 urban local bodies in over 14 thousand locations. Yatra will begin in tribal areas and will go on for two months.

As part of 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra', which will be launched after Diwali, specially customised vehicles or 'raths' will roll out to the length and breadth of the country, reaching the targeted beneficiaries of central schemes and ensuring that they are being implemented properly.

Apurva Chandra further said that the objective of the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp' yatra is to reach out to the last person, yatra intends to highlight central government schemes and its benefits through personal stories, experience sharing, nukad nataks and even quizzes will also be organised to make people aware of benefits of schemes run by the central government.

Earlier on Sunday, Congress leader RC Chaudhary alleged that the BJP's 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra', counts as a breach of the Model Code of Conduct of the Election Commission, which is currently in force in poll-bound Rajasthan.

Alleging that no prior permission was sought from the EC for taking out such a march, the Congress leader said it was nothing but a ploy by the BJP-led Centre to influence the upcoming elections in Rajasthan and elsewhere.

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, Chaudhary said, "A letter was issued by the Income Tax Department, Finance Ministry of the central government, on October 18. The government officials in charge of these chariots will go inside every panchayat as part of the 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra'."

"The Model Code of Conduct is already in force in five states from October 9. The Centre couldn't bring much development in the nine years of its rule at the Centre. Today, through this yatra, it is trying to attract votes, in violation of the Model Code of Conduct," he added.

"The Election Commission should ensure that the Model Code of Conduct is followed by all political parties in good faith. We submitted a memorandum today to the state election committee chief and registered our protest against the Centre's violation of the Model Code of Conduct. The code is being flouted with impunity as no prior permission for the yatra was sought. The Centre wants to influence voters through such yatras. We want the elections to be free and fair and, in order to ensure that this happens, the MCC should apply to such marches as well," Chaudhary added. (ANI)