New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS): Congress on Friday said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has become a mass movement as more and more people are joining it, and the party will keep up the momentum next year.

Addressing a press conference after a party meeting, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said: " The Bharat Jodo Yatra has become a movement, you people know about that. Lakhs of people are participating in this yatra everyday. Started from Kanyakumari, now the yatra is in Haryana. Till today, crores of people had participated. Apart from Congress leaders, general people enthusiastically participated in the yatra... their involvement is huge in this yatra."

The meeting also complimented Rahul Gandhi for having undertaken such a massive yatra throughout the country.

Venugopal also said as this yatra emerged as a greatest movement in this country, a proper follow-up is needed, and that is why, the Congress Steering Committee decided for a "Haath Se Haath Jodo Abhiyan" from January 26 onwards.

This, he said, will be a two months massive campaign at the grassroot level. Two months of continuous padyatra will be there at the block level under the leadership of senior leaders, while state units will assign two leaders for each block to conduct the yatra. The yatra will be undertaken by the leadership of the Block Congress Committee, but two leaders deputed by the state unit will be there to lead the yatra.

Along with this yatra, there will be village-level sabhas, and interaction with influential people in the villages and massive district level workers' convention. Then, the culmination of this yatra will happen with a massive rally in the state capital, in which Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge or Rahul Gandhi will participate, he said.

There will be a separate women's yatra in the state capitals for one day, led by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Venugopal added.