Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with several party leaders, embarked on the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from here on Thursday, marking the beginning of a challenging journey through which the party is seeking to reach out to people and rejuvenate its organisation.
Ahead of the start of the padyatra, Gandhi hoisted the national flag at the campsite of the Bharat Yatris, who will walk with him through the 3,570 km journey from Kanyakimari to Kashmir.
Gandhi began the padyatra from Agasteeswaram here, along with 118 'Bharat Yatris' as well as other party leaders from across the country.
Gandhi on Wednesday had flagged off the party's ambitious 'Bharat jodo' yatra with an assertion that he will not lose his country to hate and accused the BJP-RSS of trying to divide the country on religious lines.
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What are the leaders saying?
Congress General Secretary In-Charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said the Yatra is a "transformational moment for Indian politics and it is a decisive moment for the rejuvenation of the Congress party".
In a video message, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged people to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra wherever possible. She asserted that the Yatra was needed as "negative politics was being practised in the country and real issues of the people were not being discussed", adding that the Yatra aims to put the focus on issues of the people such as price rise and unemployment.Ahead of the Yatra, Rahul has said with all paths “blocked” by the government, the Congress now has to go to the people and tell them the truth, and that is why the party is undertaking the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.
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Eyeing the revival of the crisis-ridden party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, party chief Sonia Gandhi had described the march as a "landmark occasion" and hoped that the march would help rejuvenate the grand old party.
All about the yatra: Route map and participants
The footmarch will move in two batches – one from 7 am to 10:30 am and the other from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. While the morning session will include fewer participants, the evening session will see mass mobilisation. On average, the participants plan to walk around 22 to 23 km daily.
The Congress has asserted that its Yatra from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is not a 'Mann Ki Baat' in any manner, but its objective is to ensure that the concerns and demands of the people reach Delhi.
It has classified 119 leaders, including Rahul, as 'Bharat Yatris' who will walk the entire route from Kanyakumari to Srinagar. About 30 per cent of the ‘Bharat Yatris’ are women. The average age of the participants is 38.
About 50,000 non-party citizens have also registered till now to participate in the Yatra.
To coincide with the launch of the Yatra on Wednesday, 'Prarthana Sabhas’ will be held by all state units of the Congress at 5 pm, a senior leader said. At 7 am on Thursday, 10 km foot marches will be held at the block level to mark the start of the main Yatra.
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The 'padayatra' will reach Kerala on September 11 and will traverse through the state for the next 18 days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will remain in Karnataka for 21 days before moving to other states northwards.
The yatra will start from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and then move northwards passing through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and culminate in Srinagar.
The classification of those participating in the yatra is -- 'Bharat Yatris', 'Atithi Yatris', 'Pradesh Yatris' and 'Volunteer Yatris'. The tagline of the yatra is 'Mile Kadam, Jude Watan'.
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(With PTI Inputs)
