The Congress’ much publicised Bharat Jodo Yatra – a mass contact programme that involves a padayatra or walkathon of Congress leaders and workers from Kanyakumari to Kashmir – is all set to be launched on Wednesday, September 7. Rahul Gandhi, along with over 100 ‘Bharat Padyatris’, will walk the 3,570-km yatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar over the course of 150 days. The programme will be launched officially on September 7 and the journey itself will begin the next day. At a press conference on Monday, party General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh pitted the Bharat Jodo Yatra against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat radio programme. He said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s objective was to ensure that the concerns and demands expressed by the people reach Delhi. Here’s all you need to know about the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The Yatra will be launched on September 7 in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders. Before the launch event, Rahul Gandhi will take part in a prayer meeting at former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's memorial in Sriperumbudur. He will then attend an event in Kanyakumari where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel will be present, and Rahul Gandhi will be handed over a Khadi national flag. After the event at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam where Stalin will be present, Rahul Gandhi, along with other Congress leaders, will walk to the venue of the public rally where the yatra will be launched.
Though the 3,570-km yatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar will be formally launched at the rally, it will actually begin at 7 am on September 8. The yatra 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 a lesser number of participants, the evening session will see mass mobilisation. On average, the padayatris will walk around 22-23 km daily, Jairam Ramesh said. While the main yatra will pass through 12 states, simultaneously, there will be separate small Bharat Jodo Yatras in states like Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Odisha, Sikkim, West Bengal and Nagaland.
The yatra is open to the public, and anyone can register on the Bharat Jodo Yatra website to take part in it. “It will be a celebration of India’s unity, a festival of hope that will come alive with musical programs and contests that anyone can participate in,” the website says.
Congress has billed the yatra as an unprecedented mass contact programme ever undertaken in independent India. The tagline of the yatra is 'Mile Kadam, Jude Watan' (as steps are taken together, the nation shall unite). Congress released the anthem of the yatra on Monday at a press meet at the AICC headquarters. Jairam Ramesh said its lyrics – 'Ek tera kadam, ek mera kadam, mil jaye, jud jaye apna watan' (one step of yours, one step of mine, as they add up, our nation shall unite) – signify the objective of the yatra. This also comes ahead of the crucial Assembly election in Gujarat scheduled to be held in December this year.
Ramesh took a dig at PM Modi’s monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat and said, "Bharat Jodo Yatra, in no way in any form, is a Mann Ki Baat. It is about concern for people. Its objective is to ensure that the concerns and demands expressed by the people reach Delhi.” He added, "It (the yatra) is not about long speeches, preaching, dramatics, teleprompter, we are going to listen." Senior leaders and party spokespersons addressed press meets at 28 locations on Monday to stress the need for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Ramesh said there is a need for "Bharat Jodo" because the country is being divided.
"The first reason for the division is economic disparities, the second is social polarisation and the third is political centralisation as states' rights are being snatched away. So it is important to unite the country now. If not now, then when," he said.
Rahul Gandhi and many other Congress leaders will embark on the yatra. The list of the ‘Bharat Padyatris’, who will walk the entire route over 150 days, includes Rahul Gandhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, Pawan Khera and other party members from various states. However, when asked who will be leading the yatra, and whether there will be a change in the leadership of the yatra once a new Congress president is elected on October 19, Ramesh said that Rahul Gandhi is not leading the programme but walking along with others to highlight the issues of the people.
The official website says that while senior leaders of the Congress party will actively participate in the yatra, those who are unable to join will help spread its message by organising events and participating in online campaigns. Ramesh said the yatra will also be live streamed on its official website.
With PTI inputs