News Analysis India

Tag: Bharat-Jodo Yatra

  • Some people are doing foot march to get back to power: PM Modi’s dig at Rahul Gandhi

    By PTI

    SURENDRANAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying those who have been thrown out of power are taking out foot march to get back to power.

    Addressing a gathering in Surendranagar town of poll-bound Gujarat, Modi also said instead of talking about development during elections, the opposition Congress is saying it will show him his “aukat” (status).

    “Now, the Congress does not talk about development during elections. Instead, Congress leaders are saying they will show Modi his aukat. Just look at their arrogance. They, indeed, belong to a royal family, while I am merely a servant having no aukat,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat Assembly polls: ‘Son’ rise in 20 seats as BJP, Cong field dynasts

    “In the past, the Congress had used words like ‘neech aadmi’, ‘maut ka saudagar’ and ‘naali ka keeda’ for me. I urge you to talk about development instead of playing this game of ‘aukat’,” the PM said, adding that he swallows such insults because his focus is to make India a developed nation.

    Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

    Modi said people who were dethroned long back were taking out yatra to get back the power.

    “Some people are doing foot march to get back to power. They are also taking along those who had stalled the Narmada project for 40 years through litigation and kept Gujarat thirsty for 40 years. In this election, the people of Gujarat will punish those who are doing this padyatra. People will also punish those who were against the Narmada project”, he said without taking any names.

    Modi was referring to Narmada Bachao Andolan spearhead Medha Patkar joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra recently.

    He said there was a time when people of this region were suffering from acute water shortage.

    “At that time, I had vowed to improve this situation. I had said that Surendranagar district will be the biggest beneficiary of the Narmada project. And today, I stand validated because this region is getting that benefit,” Modi said.

    ALSO READ | Modi govt weakening laws framed by UPA to empower tribals: Rahul Gandhi

    In another jibe on Rahul Gandhi, the PM said leaders who are doing padyatra do not know the difference between groundnut and cottonseed crops.

    Without taking names, he further said some people abuse Gujarat even after eating the “salt” manufactured in the state.

    Modi said though Gujarat produces 80 per cent of the country’s salt, the previous Congress governments never paid attention to the issues of salt pan workers, known as ‘agariyas’.

    The people of Surendranagar district had “made a mistake” of giving some seats to the Congress in 2017, he said, adding that the opposition MLAs did nothing good for their constituencies.

    SURENDRANAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, saying those who have been thrown out of power are taking out foot march to get back to power.

    Addressing a gathering in Surendranagar town of poll-bound Gujarat, Modi also said instead of talking about development during elections, the opposition Congress is saying it will show him his “aukat” (status).

    “Now, the Congress does not talk about development during elections. Instead, Congress leaders are saying they will show Modi his aukat. Just look at their arrogance. They, indeed, belong to a royal family, while I am merely a servant having no aukat,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat Assembly polls: ‘Son’ rise in 20 seats as BJP, Cong field dynasts

    “In the past, the Congress had used words like ‘neech aadmi’, ‘maut ka saudagar’ and ‘naali ka keeda’ for me. I urge you to talk about development instead of playing this game of ‘aukat’,” the PM said, adding that he swallows such insults because his focus is to make India a developed nation.

    Elections to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

    Modi said people who were dethroned long back were taking out yatra to get back the power.

    “Some people are doing foot march to get back to power. They are also taking along those who had stalled the Narmada project for 40 years through litigation and kept Gujarat thirsty for 40 years. In this election, the people of Gujarat will punish those who are doing this padyatra. People will also punish those who were against the Narmada project”, he said without taking any names.

    Modi was referring to Narmada Bachao Andolan spearhead Medha Patkar joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra recently.

    He said there was a time when people of this region were suffering from acute water shortage.

    “At that time, I had vowed to improve this situation. I had said that Surendranagar district will be the biggest beneficiary of the Narmada project. And today, I stand validated because this region is getting that benefit,” Modi said.

    ALSO READ | Modi govt weakening laws framed by UPA to empower tribals: Rahul Gandhi

    In another jibe on Rahul Gandhi, the PM said leaders who are doing padyatra do not know the difference between groundnut and cottonseed crops.

    Without taking names, he further said some people abuse Gujarat even after eating the “salt” manufactured in the state.

    Modi said though Gujarat produces 80 per cent of the country’s salt, the previous Congress governments never paid attention to the issues of salt pan workers, known as ‘agariyas’.

    The people of Surendranagar district had “made a mistake” of giving some seats to the Congress in 2017, he said, adding that the opposition MLAs did nothing good for their constituencies.

  • PM Modi slams Congress over Medha Patkar joining Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra

    By PTI

    DHORAJI (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked on what moral ground is the Congress seeking votes in Gujarat when its leader was joined in his Bharat Jodo Yatra by a woman who stalled the Narmada dam project for three decades.

    Modi was referring to Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra on Saturday.

    Addressing a poll rally in Dhoraji town of Gujarat’s Rajkot district, Modi said the ambitious project of building Sardar Sarovar Dam over Narmada river was delayed because many people had tried hard to stall it.

    “The Narmada project was the only solution to quench the thirst of the arid region of Kutch and Kathiyawad (Saurashtra region). You must have seen yesterday how a Congress leader was doing padyatra with a woman, who was an anti-Narmada activist. She and others had stalled the project for three decades by creating legal hurdles” he said.

    “These activists held protests just to make sure that water does not reach here,” Modi said, and accused the activists of defaming Gujarat to such an extent that even the World Bank stopped funds for the project.

    Rahul Gandhi with Medha Patkar during Bharat Jodo Yatra (Photo | INC Twitter)

    “When Congress leaders approach you to seek votes, I want you to ask them to explain on what moral ground the opposition party is seeking votes when their leader was doing padyatra with a woman who was against the Narmada project. I urge you to ask this question to Congress,” he said.

    The BJP government in Gujarat had worked hard for 20 years to resolve the water shortage issue through various schemes, such as building check dams, digging new wells and lakes and providing water through pipelines, Modi said.

    “Today, the entire Kutch-Kathiyawad region is receiving water through this pipeline network. We believe in bringing permanent solutions to problems. We understand that water and electricity are crucial for development. Congress governments were only interested in installing hand pumps,” he said.

    Gujarat will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh.

    Of the total 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat, voting for 89 seats will be held on December 1 and the balance 93 seats on December 5.

    Polling in Dhoraji area, held by Congress, will take place on December 1.

    DHORAJI (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked on what moral ground is the Congress seeking votes in Gujarat when its leader was joined in his Bharat Jodo Yatra by a woman who stalled the Narmada dam project for three decades.

    Modi was referring to Narmada Bachao Andolan activist Medha Patkar joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra on Saturday.

    Addressing a poll rally in Dhoraji town of Gujarat’s Rajkot district, Modi said the ambitious project of building Sardar Sarovar Dam over Narmada river was delayed because many people had tried hard to stall it.

    “The Narmada project was the only solution to quench the thirst of the arid region of Kutch and Kathiyawad (Saurashtra region). You must have seen yesterday how a Congress leader was doing padyatra with a woman, who was an anti-Narmada activist. She and others had stalled the project for three decades by creating legal hurdles” he said.

    “These activists held protests just to make sure that water does not reach here,” Modi said, and accused the activists of defaming Gujarat to such an extent that even the World Bank stopped funds for the project.

    Rahul Gandhi with Medha Patkar during Bharat Jodo Yatra (Photo | INC Twitter)

    “When Congress leaders approach you to seek votes, I want you to ask them to explain on what moral ground the opposition party is seeking votes when their leader was doing padyatra with a woman who was against the Narmada project. I urge you to ask this question to Congress,” he said.

    The BJP government in Gujarat had worked hard for 20 years to resolve the water shortage issue through various schemes, such as building check dams, digging new wells and lakes and providing water through pipelines, Modi said.

    “Today, the entire Kutch-Kathiyawad region is receiving water through this pipeline network. We believe in bringing permanent solutions to problems. We understand that water and electricity are crucial for development. Congress governments were only interested in installing hand pumps,” he said.

    Gujarat will go to polls in two phases on December 1 and 5 with the counting of votes on December 8 along with that of Himachal Pradesh.

    Of the total 182 Assembly seats in Gujarat, voting for 89 seats will be held on December 1 and the balance 93 seats on December 5.

    Polling in Dhoraji area, held by Congress, will take place on December 1.

  • Gujarat polls: Rahul Gandhi to address public rallies in Rajkot, Surat on Monday

    By PTI

    RAJKOT: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Rajkot as well as Mahuva in Surat in poll-bound Gujarat on November 21, a party leader said on Saturday.

    Gandhi is currently leading the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is traversing Maharashtra and is poised to enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    The former Congress president will be in Rajkot and Mahuva in south Gujarat to address public rallies on November 21, Rajasthan MLA and Congress’s Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma told reporters.

    Speaking on the Yatra, he said the nationwide march has covered 2,000 kilometres so far and has been organised as per the decision taken at the ‘navsankalp shivir’ in Rajasthan’s Udaipur against the “environment of fear, hatred and violence prevailing in the country”.

    Incidentally, Gandhi will be visiting Gujarat after two-and-half months.

    He had addressed a rally of booth-level workers in Ahmedabad on September 5, before moving on to lead the Yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    Gujarat will see two-phase Assembly polls on December 1 and 5, while votes will be counted on December 8.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking the seventh straight term, is pitted against Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party that has promised a slew of measures, or “guarantees” if it wins the polls.

    The BJP won the 2017 polls for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly by a narrow margin after winning 99 seats against Congress’ improved tally of 77.ALSO READ | PM Modi to address rallies in poll-bound Gujarat for two days

    RAJKOT: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Rajkot as well as Mahuva in Surat in poll-bound Gujarat on November 21, a party leader said on Saturday.

    Gandhi is currently leading the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is traversing Maharashtra and is poised to enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    The former Congress president will be in Rajkot and Mahuva in south Gujarat to address public rallies on November 21, Rajasthan MLA and Congress’s Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma told reporters.

    Speaking on the Yatra, he said the nationwide march has covered 2,000 kilometres so far and has been organised as per the decision taken at the ‘navsankalp shivir’ in Rajasthan’s Udaipur against the “environment of fear, hatred and violence prevailing in the country”.

    Incidentally, Gandhi will be visiting Gujarat after two-and-half months.

    He had addressed a rally of booth-level workers in Ahmedabad on September 5, before moving on to lead the Yatra that commenced from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    Gujarat will see two-phase Assembly polls on December 1 and 5, while votes will be counted on December 8.

    The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is seeking the seventh straight term, is pitted against Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party that has promised a slew of measures, or “guarantees” if it wins the polls.

    The BJP won the 2017 polls for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly by a narrow margin after winning 99 seats against Congress’ improved tally of 77.ALSO READ | PM Modi to address rallies in poll-bound Gujarat for two days

  • After threat letter to Rahul, MP minister guarantees high security during Bharat Jodo Yatra

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: A day after an anonymous letter threatened bomb blasts in Indore during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Saturday said it was the state government’s responsibility to provide security to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is leading this foot-march.

    The anonymous letter threatened that bomb blasts would be carried out in that city if the Bharat Jodo Yatra made a scheduled night halt at Khalsa Stadium here on November 28.

    The letter, which referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also threatened the assassinations of Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath.

    “The government is responsible for the foolproof security of Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh.

    I want to assure them that it is our commitment as far as providing security is concerned,” Mishra told reporters in response to a query about the threat letter.

    ALSO READ | Bharat Jodo Yatra: Sweet shop receives letter containing multiple threats, case lodged in Indore

    The minister, however, accused Kamal Nath of rubbing salt to the wounds of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by going to the Khalsa Stadium for a function earlier this month.

    “Perhaps Nath does not want Rahul Gandhi’s yatra to come to the state,” Mishra said.

    The Indore police had said on Friday that the anonymous threat letter was received at a sweets-snacks shop in the Juni area of the city on Thursday evening.

    A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Friday under section 507 (criminal intimidation by an unknown person) of the Indian Penal Code.

    ALSO READ | Maharashtra: Security beefed up in Shegaon ahead of Rahul’s rally after politics over Savarkar

    Khalsa Stadium in Indore was in news earlier this month after there was a controversy over Nath being felicitated at a function held there on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 8.

    Kirtan singer Manpreet Singh Kanpuri had referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, regarding which Nath had faced allegations in the past, and blasted the organisers for felicitating Nath.

    The BJP has already announced that if Nath enters the stadium during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, it will be shown black flags.

    BHOPAL: A day after an anonymous letter threatened bomb blasts in Indore during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Saturday said it was the state government’s responsibility to provide security to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is leading this foot-march.

    The anonymous letter threatened that bomb blasts would be carried out in that city if the Bharat Jodo Yatra made a scheduled night halt at Khalsa Stadium here on November 28.

    The letter, which referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also threatened the assassinations of Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath.

    “The government is responsible for the foolproof security of Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh.

    I want to assure them that it is our commitment as far as providing security is concerned,” Mishra told reporters in response to a query about the threat letter.

    ALSO READ | Bharat Jodo Yatra: Sweet shop receives letter containing multiple threats, case lodged in Indore

    The minister, however, accused Kamal Nath of rubbing salt to the wounds of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by going to the Khalsa Stadium for a function earlier this month.

    “Perhaps Nath does not want Rahul Gandhi’s yatra to come to the state,” Mishra said.

    The Indore police had said on Friday that the anonymous threat letter was received at a sweets-snacks shop in the Juni area of the city on Thursday evening.

    A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Friday under section 507 (criminal intimidation by an unknown person) of the Indian Penal Code.

    ALSO READ | Maharashtra: Security beefed up in Shegaon ahead of Rahul’s rally after politics over Savarkar

    Khalsa Stadium in Indore was in news earlier this month after there was a controversy over Nath being felicitated at a function held there on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 8.

    Kirtan singer Manpreet Singh Kanpuri had referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, regarding which Nath had faced allegations in the past, and blasted the organisers for felicitating Nath.

    The BJP has already announced that if Nath enters the stadium during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, it will be shown black flags.

  • Those targeting Rahul should explain why Savarkar got pension from British, says Maha Cong chief

    By PTI

    BULDHANA: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday said those criticising party leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on VD Savarkar, should first explain why the Hindutva ideologue was getting Rs 60 pension from the British.

    Gandhi has kicked up a row with his remarks on Savarkar made earlier this week during the Maharashtra leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    He has claimed that Savarkar had helped the British and wrote a mercy petition to him out of fear.

    “Those who criticised Rahul Gandhi for his comments on Savarkar should first reply why the latter was getting a pension of Rs 60 from the British,” Patole said in response to a query about criticism of Gandhi for his remarks against Savarkar and Shiv Sena’s stand that such comments will hamper MVA alliance.

    He said the Bharat Jodo Yatra received an overwhelming response in Maharashtra and the Congress was united and energised.

    Patole said his party wants an ideological debate and it wants to unite people. The Congress believed in non-violence, he said.

    Congress general secretary in-charge of the party’s communication and publicity wing, Jairam Ramesh, said the grand old party was celebrating November 19 as ‘Kisan Vijay Diwas’ as it was on this day last year that the three farm laws were withdrawn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after protests.

    ”November 19 is a historic day and we are celebrating it as Kisan Vijay diwas.

    The only long-term solution for the welfare of farmers is upgrading irrigation facilities in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, where farmers are committing suicide,” he said.

    Women elected representatives and members of self-help groups (SHGs) joined the yatra with Rahul Gandhi to mark the birth anniversary of late prime minister Indira Gandhi, he added.

    BULDHANA: Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday said those criticising party leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on VD Savarkar, should first explain why the Hindutva ideologue was getting Rs 60 pension from the British.

    Gandhi has kicked up a row with his remarks on Savarkar made earlier this week during the Maharashtra leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    He has claimed that Savarkar had helped the British and wrote a mercy petition to him out of fear.

    “Those who criticised Rahul Gandhi for his comments on Savarkar should first reply why the latter was getting a pension of Rs 60 from the British,” Patole said in response to a query about criticism of Gandhi for his remarks against Savarkar and Shiv Sena’s stand that such comments will hamper MVA alliance.

    He said the Bharat Jodo Yatra received an overwhelming response in Maharashtra and the Congress was united and energised.

    Patole said his party wants an ideological debate and it wants to unite people. The Congress believed in non-violence, he said.

    Congress general secretary in-charge of the party’s communication and publicity wing, Jairam Ramesh, said the grand old party was celebrating November 19 as ‘Kisan Vijay Diwas’ as it was on this day last year that the three farm laws were withdrawn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after protests.

    ”November 19 is a historic day and we are celebrating it as Kisan Vijay diwas.

    The only long-term solution for the welfare of farmers is upgrading irrigation facilities in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, where farmers are committing suicide,” he said.

    Women elected representatives and members of self-help groups (SHGs) joined the yatra with Rahul Gandhi to mark the birth anniversary of late prime minister Indira Gandhi, he added.

  • Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson joins Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra; Congress calls it ‘historic’ 

    By PTI

    SHEGAON: Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, joined Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Shegaon in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra on Friday morning, with the Congress hailing his participation as “historic”.

    The yatra, which has been passing through Maharashtra since November 7, resumed the day’s journey from Balapur in Akola district around 6 am and reached Shegaon a few hours later, where Tushar Gandhi, an author and activist, joined it.

    दररोज सकाळी… उत्साही#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/nXV2L5GHvC
    — Congress (@INCIndia) November 18, 2022
    In a tweet on Thursday, Tushar Gandhi had said that Shegaon was his birthplace.

    ”I will join the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Shegaon on 18th. Shegaon is my Birth Station as well. The train my mother was travelling in, 1 Dn. Howrah Mail Via Nagpur had halted at Shegaon Station on 17th January 1960 when I was born!” he had said in the post.

    I will join the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Shegaon on 18th. Shegaon is my Birth Station as well. The train my mother was travelling in, 1 Dn. Howrah Mail Via Nagpur had halted at Shegaon Station on 17th January 1960 when I was born! #BJY #BharatJodoYatra
    — Tushar (@TusharG) November 15, 2022
    The Congress described Tushar Gandhi’s participation in the yatra as historic.

    The party described Rahul Gandhi and Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandsons of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, respectively, as carriers of the legacy of the two late leaders.

    “The two walking together is a message to the rulers that they can put democracy in threat but will not be allowed to finish it off,” the party said in a statement.

    Apart from Tushar Gandhi, senior Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik, Deepender Hooda, Milind Deora, Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap and party’s state unit chief Nana Patole walked with Rahul Gandhi.

    Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally at Shegaon this evening.

    The Bharat Jodo Yatra is in its last leg in Maharashtra and will enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    SHEGAON: Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, joined Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Shegaon in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra on Friday morning, with the Congress hailing his participation as “historic”.

    The yatra, which has been passing through Maharashtra since November 7, resumed the day’s journey from Balapur in Akola district around 6 am and reached Shegaon a few hours later, where Tushar Gandhi, an author and activist, joined it.

    दररोज सकाळी… उत्साही#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/nXV2L5GHvC
    — Congress (@INCIndia) November 18, 2022
    In a tweet on Thursday, Tushar Gandhi had said that Shegaon was his birthplace.

    ”I will join the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Shegaon on 18th. Shegaon is my Birth Station as well. The train my mother was travelling in, 1 Dn. Howrah Mail Via Nagpur had halted at Shegaon Station on 17th January 1960 when I was born!” he had said in the post.

    I will join the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Shegaon on 18th. Shegaon is my Birth Station as well. The train my mother was travelling in, 1 Dn. Howrah Mail Via Nagpur had halted at Shegaon Station on 17th January 1960 when I was born! #BJY #BharatJodoYatra
    — Tushar (@TusharG) November 15, 2022
    The Congress described Tushar Gandhi’s participation in the yatra as historic.

    The party described Rahul Gandhi and Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandsons of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, respectively, as carriers of the legacy of the two late leaders.

    “The two walking together is a message to the rulers that they can put democracy in threat but will not be allowed to finish it off,” the party said in a statement.

    Apart from Tushar Gandhi, senior Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik, Deepender Hooda, Milind Deora, Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai Congress president Bhai Jagtap and party’s state unit chief Nana Patole walked with Rahul Gandhi.

    Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally at Shegaon this evening.

    The Bharat Jodo Yatra is in its last leg in Maharashtra and will enter Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

  • I don’t approve of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Savarkar: Uddhav

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads a faction of the Shiv Sena, on Thursday said his party has immense respect for V D Savarkar and he does not approve of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the freedom fighter.

    Talking to reporters here, Thackeray also asked why the Centre has not conferred the Bharat Ratna on Savarkar.

    “We do not approve of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Savarkar. We have immense respect and faith for Swatyantra Veer Savarkar and it cannot be erased,” he said.

    The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. His son and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray participated in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra last week.

    During a rally in Washim district on Tuesday organised as part of his yatra, Rahul said Savarkar is a symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

    “He was jailed in Andaman for two, three years. He started writing mercy petitions,” the Congress MP had said.

    The former Congress president had claimed Savarkar wrote a book on himself with a different name and highlighted how brave he was.

    “He used to take pensions from the British, work for them, and work against the Congress,” Gandhi had said.

    Following this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde targeted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction.

    Responding to it, Uddhav Thackeray said, “It is laughable when parents or their progeny (apparently referring to the RSS and BJP) who have no connection with the freedom struggle express love for Savarkar.”

    He said the RSS is completing 100 years, but it was not a part of the freedom struggle. They don’t have the right to talk about Savarkar, he added.

    “Savarkar who made sacrifices for freedom – the same freedom needs to be protected today,” the former CM said.

    “You ask us questions when Rahul Gandhi says something about Savarkar,” he commented.

    “I had asked this in the Vidhan Sabha that is this patriotism when you sit next to the PDP (People’s Democratic Party led by Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu and Kashmir) that does not even give a call of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ or sing ‘Vande Mataram’,” Uddhav Thackeray said, referring to the alliance between the BJP and PDP in 2015.

    MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads a faction of the Shiv Sena, on Thursday said his party has immense respect for V D Savarkar and he does not approve of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the freedom fighter.

    Talking to reporters here, Thackeray also asked why the Centre has not conferred the Bharat Ratna on Savarkar.

    “We do not approve of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Savarkar. We have immense respect and faith for Swatyantra Veer Savarkar and it cannot be erased,” he said.

    The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. His son and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray participated in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra last week.

    During a rally in Washim district on Tuesday organised as part of his yatra, Rahul said Savarkar is a symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

    “He was jailed in Andaman for two, three years. He started writing mercy petitions,” the Congress MP had said.

    The former Congress president had claimed Savarkar wrote a book on himself with a different name and highlighted how brave he was.

    “He used to take pensions from the British, work for them, and work against the Congress,” Gandhi had said.

    Following this, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde targeted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction.

    Responding to it, Uddhav Thackeray said, “It is laughable when parents or their progeny (apparently referring to the RSS and BJP) who have no connection with the freedom struggle express love for Savarkar.”

    He said the RSS is completing 100 years, but it was not a part of the freedom struggle. They don’t have the right to talk about Savarkar, he added.

    “Savarkar who made sacrifices for freedom – the same freedom needs to be protected today,” the former CM said.

    “You ask us questions when Rahul Gandhi says something about Savarkar,” he commented.

    “I had asked this in the Vidhan Sabha that is this patriotism when you sit next to the PDP (People’s Democratic Party led by Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu and Kashmir) that does not even give a call of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ or sing ‘Vande Mataram’,” Uddhav Thackeray said, referring to the alliance between the BJP and PDP in 2015.

  • Bharat Jodo Yatra takes one-day break in Maha; to proceed to Washim on Nov 14 

    By PTI

    HINGOLI: The Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress took a one-day break in Maharashtra on Sunday and it will proceed from Kalamnuri in Hingoli district to Washim on Monday.

    Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a public gathering in Kalamnuri on Saturday night, the sixth day of the yatra in Maharashtra, and said the message of the foot march led by him was that India cannot be divided and hatred would not be allowed to be spread.

    The Congress leader had also targeted the state and Central governments over the shifting of mega projects like the Vedanta-Foxconn and the Tata Airbus from Maharashtra to poll-bound Gujarat.

    #BharatJodoYatra will be taking a day’s break tomorrow to rejuvenate before marching again for a better India.Yatra will resume on 14th November from Hingoli, Maharashtra. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/qg04kh2V8J
    — Bharat Jodo (@bharatjodo) November 12, 2022
    The yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, entered its 66th day on Saturday and has so far covered 28 districts in six states.

    हिंगोली में #BharatJodoYatra का 66वां दिन समाप्त। आज दिन भर लोगों का उत्साह देखने लायक था। ये हमारे लिए दुख की बात है कि पिछले साल जून में कोविड से हमने अपने सहयोगी राजीव सातव को खो दिया,जो लोकसभा में हिंगोली का प्रतिनिधित्व करते थे। वह हमारे विचारों में थे। कल विश्राम का दिन है। pic.twitter.com/4hq6ixzeAX
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 12, 2022
    All India Congress Committee General Secretary (communications ) Jairam Ramesh in a tweet on Saturday night said, “66th day of #BharatJodoYatra draws to a close in Hingoli district. The enthusiasm of people throughout the day was very heartwarming. Tragically, we lost our colleague Rajeev Satav who had represented Hingoli in LS to Covid last June (in 2021). He was in our thoughts. Tomorrow’s a rest day.”

    @RahulGandhi – “My friend Rajeev Satav”My #BharatJodoYatra diary – end of day 12th November – written with @Pawankhera@Jairam_Ramesh @digvijaya_28 @bharatjodo @INCIndia @IYC https://t.co/MThSmiASMp
    — Manish Khanduri (@ManishKhanduri1) November 13, 2022
    The yatra, which has covered half of its total distance of 3,750 km, entered Maharashtra from neighbouring Telangana on November 7 night and has covered Nanded and Hingoli districts in the western state.

    The Congress’s mass contact initiative will cover a distance of 382 km across five districts of Maharashtra before entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    It will pass through 12 states before culminating in Jammu and Kashmir after spanning a distance of 3,570 km over nearly 150 days.

    HINGOLI: The Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress took a one-day break in Maharashtra on Sunday and it will proceed from Kalamnuri in Hingoli district to Washim on Monday.

    Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a public gathering in Kalamnuri on Saturday night, the sixth day of the yatra in Maharashtra, and said the message of the foot march led by him was that India cannot be divided and hatred would not be allowed to be spread.

    The Congress leader had also targeted the state and Central governments over the shifting of mega projects like the Vedanta-Foxconn and the Tata Airbus from Maharashtra to poll-bound Gujarat.

    #BharatJodoYatra will be taking a day’s break tomorrow to rejuvenate before marching again for a better India.
    Yatra will resume on 14th November from Hingoli, Maharashtra. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/qg04kh2V8J
    — Bharat Jodo (@bharatjodo) November 12, 2022
    The yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, entered its 66th day on Saturday and has so far covered 28 districts in six states.

    हिंगोली में #BharatJodoYatra का 66वां दिन समाप्त। आज दिन भर लोगों का उत्साह देखने लायक था। ये हमारे लिए दुख की बात है कि पिछले साल जून में कोविड से हमने अपने सहयोगी राजीव सातव को खो दिया,जो लोकसभा में हिंगोली का प्रतिनिधित्व करते थे। वह हमारे विचारों में थे। कल विश्राम का दिन है। pic.twitter.com/4hq6ixzeAX
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) November 12, 2022
    All India Congress Committee General Secretary (communications ) Jairam Ramesh in a tweet on Saturday night said, “66th day of #BharatJodoYatra draws to a close in Hingoli district. The enthusiasm of people throughout the day was very heartwarming. Tragically, we lost our colleague Rajeev Satav who had represented Hingoli in LS to Covid last June (in 2021). He was in our thoughts. Tomorrow’s a rest day.”

    @RahulGandhi – “My friend Rajeev Satav”
    My #BharatJodoYatra diary – end of day 12th November – written with @Pawankhera@Jairam_Ramesh @digvijaya_28 @bharatjodo @INCIndia @IYC https://t.co/MThSmiASMp
    — Manish Khanduri (@ManishKhanduri1) November 13, 2022
    The yatra, which has covered half of its total distance of 3,750 km, entered Maharashtra from neighbouring Telangana on November 7 night and has covered Nanded and Hingoli districts in the western state.

    The Congress’s mass contact initiative will cover a distance of 382 km across five districts of Maharashtra before entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

    It will pass through 12 states before culminating in Jammu and Kashmir after spanning a distance of 3,570 km over nearly 150 days.

  • Cong yatra will establish Rahul as serious politician but single goal focus missing in march: Analysts

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra will establish the Congress MP as a serious politician and provide him heft to take on his formidable opponent BJP, but the cross-country march should have focused on specific issues to leave a lasting impact, according to political observers.

    The 3,570-km-long foot-march of the Congress, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7, entered Maharashtra on November 7. The Gandhi-led yatra will reach the almost halfway mark after entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20 in the Burhanpur district.

    सब साथ आएंगे, देश बचाएंगे।आज भारत जोड़ो यात्रा से जुड़े शिवसेना नेता आदित्य ठाकरे। @AUThackeray#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/OugUigv5p9
    — Bharat Jodo (@bharatjodo) November 11, 2022
    The stated goal of the mass outreach programme is to revive, resuscitate and reinvigorate the Congress party organisation.

    Though Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath, who is overseeing preparations for the yatra in the state, has maintained the route of the unity walk has not been decided on the basis of the party’s strength or weakness, observers said the event will have long-term political implications for the country.

    “The yatra will have larger implications on Indian politics and will effectively dent the RSS/BJP’s orchestrated campaign to portray Rahul Gandhi as a non-serious politician in comparison to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” former Union minister Aslam Sher Khan said.

    The former India hockey player and Olympian maintained the yatra is a Congress pushback against what he called “politics of divisiveness and polarisation” being played by the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) combine.

    Gandhi (52) has proved himself as a “serious politician” by sticking to his words of keeping the Gandhi family away from the all-powerful post of party president despite immense pressure from Congress leaders, Khan said.

    “By ensuring that the party’s presidential election was conducted in a democratic manner, Rahul Gandhi has proved he is a serious politician with long innings in Indian politics,” the former Olympian said.

    The yatra will firmly cement the Lok Sabha MP’s position as a key politician who is here to stay, Khan stated.

    However, senior journalist and political analyst Girija Shankar argued the nationwide foot march, which will go on for nearly 150 days and end in Srinagar in January, is not generating the kind of response that was expected.

    “The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not focused on any specific issue and therefore, it is not generating the kind of response that such marches in the past had elicited. Gandhiji took out Dandi March or salt satyagraha with a focus on opposing British imperialism and therefore, it drew huge spontaneous support from citizens,” he said.

    Similarly, senior BJP leader LK Advani’s rath yatra in 1990 was solely focused on mass mobilisation in favour of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya and it attracted a huge response from people at that time, Shankar pointed out.

    “The Congress yatra should have focused on specific issues like communalism and combating hatred. That would have paid rich dividends to the party and could have attracted a huge response from common citizens,” said the senior journalist.

    After 2014, a year which saw the BJP coming to power at the Centre with a full majority in the Lok Sabha, the political narrative in the country has shifted from “Left of Centre to Right of Centre”, he said.

    ALSO READ | Impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra already being felt: Congress’ dig at PM’s visit to 4 southern states

    Senior journalist and author Rasheed Kidwai felt the unity rally of the Congress is low on substance and sought to link it to the November-December Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, both currently ruled by the BJP.

    “The Bharat Jodo Yatra is high on optics and low on substance. There are too many lofty principles linked to it which cannot be quantified or measured,” he stated.

    “Ultimately, a political party or its leadership is judged by the electoral success or lack of it. In this sense, Rahul’s yatra and Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll outcomes are interlinked even if the Congress does not want it that way,” Kidwai noted.

    Social scientist CD Naik said the cross-country march will play the role of a catalyst in uniting people opposed to the BJP and its brand of politics.

    “The Bharat Jodo Yatra will definitely unite those who are politically opposed to the ruling party. But at the same time, it will also re-group those who are opposing this yatra,” noted Naik, a former professor at the Mhow-based Dr BR Ambedkar University of Social Sciences.

    ALOS READ | Focusing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi unlikely to attend Winter Session of Parliament: Congress

    Besides, it will unite at the psychological level deprived sections of the society because they feel neglected by the ruling dispensation, he said.

    These sections may not get any material benefit out of the yatra, but they will certainly feel closer to issues being raised by it, Naik said.

    Congress leader Nath insisted the yatra is not merely a political event and its broader aim was to protect India’s cultural diversity and the Constitution.

    “The yatra is moving through places that are located between Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and Kashmir. While deciding the path of the yatra we had not thought about the party’s strength or weakness in any area,” said the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

    The former Congress president is expected to offer prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in Omkareshwar town during the Madhya Pradesh leg of the march, the party has said.

    The Congress MP from Kerala will visit B R Ambedkar’s hometown Mhow in Indore district and also the birthplace of tribal icon Tantya Bheel in Khandwa district’s Pandhana tehsil, it said.

    Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh are gearing up to accord a grand welcome to Gandhi’s yatra on November 20 and will seek to reap rich political dividends from the programme as it comes just a year ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

    BHOPAL: Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra will establish the Congress MP as a serious politician and provide him heft to take on his formidable opponent BJP, but the cross-country march should have focused on specific issues to leave a lasting impact, according to political observers.

    The 3,570-km-long foot-march of the Congress, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7, entered Maharashtra on November 7. The Gandhi-led yatra will reach the almost halfway mark after entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20 in the Burhanpur district.

    सब साथ आएंगे, देश बचाएंगे।
    आज भारत जोड़ो यात्रा से जुड़े शिवसेना नेता आदित्य ठाकरे। @AUThackeray#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/OugUigv5p9
    — Bharat Jodo (@bharatjodo) November 11, 2022
    The stated goal of the mass outreach programme is to revive, resuscitate and reinvigorate the Congress party organisation.

    Though Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath, who is overseeing preparations for the yatra in the state, has maintained the route of the unity walk has not been decided on the basis of the party’s strength or weakness, observers said the event will have long-term political implications for the country.

    “The yatra will have larger implications on Indian politics and will effectively dent the RSS/BJP’s orchestrated campaign to portray Rahul Gandhi as a non-serious politician in comparison to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” former Union minister Aslam Sher Khan said.

    The former India hockey player and Olympian maintained the yatra is a Congress pushback against what he called “politics of divisiveness and polarisation” being played by the Bharatiya Janata Party-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (BJP-RSS) combine.

    Gandhi (52) has proved himself as a “serious politician” by sticking to his words of keeping the Gandhi family away from the all-powerful post of party president despite immense pressure from Congress leaders, Khan said.

    “By ensuring that the party’s presidential election was conducted in a democratic manner, Rahul Gandhi has proved he is a serious politician with long innings in Indian politics,” the former Olympian said.

    The yatra will firmly cement the Lok Sabha MP’s position as a key politician who is here to stay, Khan stated.

    However, senior journalist and political analyst Girija Shankar argued the nationwide foot march, which will go on for nearly 150 days and end in Srinagar in January, is not generating the kind of response that was expected.

    “The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not focused on any specific issue and therefore, it is not generating the kind of response that such marches in the past had elicited. Gandhiji took out Dandi March or salt satyagraha with a focus on opposing British imperialism and therefore, it drew huge spontaneous support from citizens,” he said.

    Similarly, senior BJP leader LK Advani’s rath yatra in 1990 was solely focused on mass mobilisation in favour of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya and it attracted a huge response from people at that time, Shankar pointed out.

    “The Congress yatra should have focused on specific issues like communalism and combating hatred. That would have paid rich dividends to the party and could have attracted a huge response from common citizens,” said the senior journalist.

    After 2014, a year which saw the BJP coming to power at the Centre with a full majority in the Lok Sabha, the political narrative in the country has shifted from “Left of Centre to Right of Centre”, he said.

    ALSO READ | Impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra already being felt: Congress’ dig at PM’s visit to 4 southern states

    Senior journalist and author Rasheed Kidwai felt the unity rally of the Congress is low on substance and sought to link it to the November-December Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, both currently ruled by the BJP.

    “The Bharat Jodo Yatra is high on optics and low on substance. There are too many lofty principles linked to it which cannot be quantified or measured,” he stated.

    “Ultimately, a political party or its leadership is judged by the electoral success or lack of it. In this sense, Rahul’s yatra and Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh Assembly poll outcomes are interlinked even if the Congress does not want it that way,” Kidwai noted.

    Social scientist CD Naik said the cross-country march will play the role of a catalyst in uniting people opposed to the BJP and its brand of politics.

    “The Bharat Jodo Yatra will definitely unite those who are politically opposed to the ruling party. But at the same time, it will also re-group those who are opposing this yatra,” noted Naik, a former professor at the Mhow-based Dr BR Ambedkar University of Social Sciences.

    ALOS READ | Focusing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi unlikely to attend Winter Session of Parliament: Congress

    Besides, it will unite at the psychological level deprived sections of the society because they feel neglected by the ruling dispensation, he said.

    These sections may not get any material benefit out of the yatra, but they will certainly feel closer to issues being raised by it, Naik said.

    Congress leader Nath insisted the yatra is not merely a political event and its broader aim was to protect India’s cultural diversity and the Constitution.

    “The yatra is moving through places that are located between Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and Kashmir. While deciding the path of the yatra we had not thought about the party’s strength or weakness in any area,” said the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

    The former Congress president is expected to offer prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in Omkareshwar town during the Madhya Pradesh leg of the march, the party has said.

    The Congress MP from Kerala will visit B R Ambedkar’s hometown Mhow in Indore district and also the birthplace of tribal icon Tantya Bheel in Khandwa district’s Pandhana tehsil, it said.

    Congress workers in Madhya Pradesh are gearing up to accord a grand welcome to Gandhi’s yatra on November 20 and will seek to reap rich political dividends from the programme as it comes just a year ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

  • Focusing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi unlikely to attend Winter Session of Parliament: Congress

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is likely to skip the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament to continue with his party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, said party General Secretary, Incharge of Communications Jairam Ramesh.

    The upcoming Winter Session of Parliament is likely to be held from December 7 to December 29, this year. There will be a total of 17 working days in the upcoming Winter Session.

    This will be the first session during which Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, will officiate proceedings in the Upper House.

    Senior Congress leader JairamRamesh (Photo | EPS)During the Winter Session, the Congress might also select a replacement for the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a position earlier occupied by the party’s new president Mallikarjun Kharge, who quit at the time of filing nomination for organisational election to adhere to the party policy of ‘one man, one post’.

    The government will be drawing up a list of Bills to be passed during the upcoming session while the Opposition will demand a discussion on pressing matters.

    Jairam Ramesh further said that the Congress supports reservation in education and employment for Economically Backward Class (EWS) in all communities without disturbing the existing reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

    Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra has reached its 66th day.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is at its Maharashtra leg, resumed from the Shevala village of Kalamnuri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli on Saturday.

    It is pertinent to mention that the Congress had claimed in its previous statement that the Yatra is the longest march on foot conducted by any Indian politician in Indian history.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra is nowadays in Maharashtra after it covered the parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

    The Yatra is getting support from various political parties and social organizations across the country and the response is increasing day by day.

    ALSO READ | Aaditya takes part in Bharat Jodo Yatra, marches along with Rahul in Maha’s Hingoli

    In Maharashtra too, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) have also agreed to participate in the yatra, adding to its importance.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, will cover a further distance of 2,355 km in its 3,570-km march. It will end in Kashmir next year. It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress claimed earlier in a statement.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra is getting support from various political parties and social organizations across the country and the response is increasing day by day.

    ALSO READ | Rahul can challenge Modi in 2024, but common face will be decided by opposition parties: Gehlot

    Notably, all the party MPs, leaders and workers along with Rahul Gandhi are staying in containers. Sleeping beds, toilets and ACs are also installed in some of the containers. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places.

    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.

    NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is likely to skip the upcoming Winter Session of Parliament to continue with his party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, said party General Secretary, Incharge of Communications Jairam Ramesh.

    The upcoming Winter Session of Parliament is likely to be held from December 7 to December 29, this year. There will be a total of 17 working days in the upcoming Winter Session.

    This will be the first session during which Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, will officiate proceedings in the Upper House.

    Senior Congress leader Jairam
    Ramesh (Photo | EPS)During the Winter Session, the Congress might also select a replacement for the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, a position earlier occupied by the party’s new president Mallikarjun Kharge, who quit at the time of filing nomination for organisational election to adhere to the party policy of ‘one man, one post’.

    The government will be drawing up a list of Bills to be passed during the upcoming session while the Opposition will demand a discussion on pressing matters.

    Jairam Ramesh further said that the Congress supports reservation in education and employment for Economically Backward Class (EWS) in all communities without disturbing the existing reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

    Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra has reached its 66th day.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is at its Maharashtra leg, resumed from the Shevala village of Kalamnuri in Maharashtra’s Hingoli on Saturday.

    It is pertinent to mention that the Congress had claimed in its previous statement that the Yatra is the longest march on foot conducted by any Indian politician in Indian history.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra is nowadays in Maharashtra after it covered the parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

    The Yatra is getting support from various political parties and social organizations across the country and the response is increasing day by day.

    ALSO READ | Aaditya takes part in Bharat Jodo Yatra, marches along with Rahul in Maha’s Hingoli

    In Maharashtra too, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) have also agreed to participate in the yatra, adding to its importance.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, will cover a further distance of 2,355 km in its 3,570-km march. It will end in Kashmir next year. It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress claimed earlier in a statement.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra is getting support from various political parties and social organizations across the country and the response is increasing day by day.

    ALSO READ | Rahul can challenge Modi in 2024, but common face will be decided by opposition parties: Gehlot

    Notably, all the party MPs, leaders and workers along with Rahul Gandhi are staying in containers. Sleeping beds, toilets and ACs are also installed in some of the containers. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places.

    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.