A group of blind students from South Delhi's Lajpat Nagar area set up a camp on one of the routes of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi on Saturday.
Around 15-20 blind students gathered on the route of Apollo hospital holding banners and chanting the slogans “Nafrat Chodo, Bharat Jodo” (forget hatred, unite India). Speaking to PTI, a blind student, Saransh, said they participated in the Yatra to “protest against rising unemployment” in the country. He said there are several blind students who have excelled in education but remained unemployed for years.
“Educated people have been roaming unemployed because there's paucity of jobs in the country. What is the point of getting education if there are not enough jobs for us? There are several blind students who have been excelling in their studies but what's the point? What are we going to do despite all these degrees?” 14-year-old Saransh asked.
Gulshan Kumar, a 12-year-old blind student, said he participated in the Yatra aiming to “eliminate hatred between communities” and raise his “voice against inflation.” Kumar's father is a farmer and has to feed a family of seven. He said inflation has impacted his family and despite having degrees, several family members could not get a job.
“Inflation has impacted my family very heavily. I come from a lower middle-class family and my father is a farmer. I have four sisters and one of them is blind. No one in the family except our father earns. Two of my sisters hold degrees but they are unemployed due to lack of jobs,” Kumar told PTI. The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Delhi from Haryana in the morning. Thousands of supporters walked behind Gandhi as he led the Yatra from Badarpur border to Ashram, with the entire stretch decked up in tricolours, balloons and banners of the leader.
Another blind student Brijesh Kumar said he joined the Yatra to “raise voice against inflation and unemployment” in the country. “More than 18-20 students from our school have come here to show solidarity with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. We are here to raise our voice against inflation and unemployment. We see our families suffer every day due to these problems,” Brijesh said.
Bharat Jodo Yatra has already covered nearly 3,000 kms and will cover 12 states travelling a total of 3,570 kms before culminating in Jammu and Kashmir in January end.