Tamil Nadu: Congress begins its third day of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

The third day of Yatra began from Scott Christian College in Nagercoil to Azhagiyamandapam Junction in Tamil Nadu.

Kanyakumari: Congress on Friday began its third day of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra‘, led by party MP Rahul Gandhi in Nagercoil city of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu.

The third day of Yatra began from Scott Christian College in Nagercoil to Azhagiyamandapam Junction in Tamil Nadu.

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The Congress ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is being held to combat the divisive politics of the BJP-led Centre, and to awaken the people of the country to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation and political centralisation.

A 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be undertaken by Rahul Gandhi which will be completed in 150 days and cover as many as 12 states.

After reaching Kerala on September 11, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 18 days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday took a swipe at Congress over the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra and said that their motive of “unification of India” would have been believed in if the party had abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “Congress which broke India is conducting Bharat Jodo Yatra. If they had removed Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, the people would have believed that they want to unite India. But it was abrogated by the BJP.”

“Congress broke India, BJP is unifying it. The people of India know about everything,” added.
However, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that the tricolour belongs to every religion, state and language, but it is under attack today by the BJP and the RSS that are dividing India on lines of religion and language.

Speaking at the launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra at a rally on September 7, he said every single institution of the country is under attack as he sought the support of the people to help keep the country united.
“They (BJP) think they can frighten the opposition using CBI, ED and IT. The problem is they don’t understand Indian people. Indian people don’t get scared. Not a single opposition leader is going to be scared of the BJP,” said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

He further highlighted the importance of the Indian tricolour and called out the BJP for allegedly treating it as their personal property.

“It gives me great joy to begin BharatJodoYatra from this beautiful place. The national flag represents the religion and language of every single person living in this country. They (BJP and RSS) think that this flag is their personal property,” he added.

Notably, all the party MPs, leaders and workers along with Rahul Gandhi will stay in the container for the next 150 days. Sleeping beds, toilets and AC are also installed in some of the containers. During the journey, the temperature and environment will differ in many areas. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places.

The 148-day march will culminate in Kashmir. The five-month Yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,500 kilometres and more than 12 states. The Padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Yatra will include Padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles.