'Ready For Long Battle To Unite Country': Rahul Gandhi Chairs Meet Over 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'

The Congress declared last week it will launch on September 7 the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with representatives of various civil society organisations during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' conclave at Constitution Club, in New Delhi (Source: PTI)

New Delhi: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday held a meeting with several prominent people of civil society regarding the party's upcoming 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and said it is like a "tapasya" for him and that he is ready for the "long battle" to unite the country. "I know uniting India (Bharat Jodo) is going to be a long battle and I am ready for it," Gandhi was quoted as saying. The Congress had declared last week it will launch on September 7 the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' - - being billed by the party as the longest yatra mounted in this country over the last century.

Focusing on that the politics of the nation has become "polarised", Gandhi said the idea of undertaking the yatra is to tell that on one side there is the philosophy of the Sangh and on the opposite side is the ideology of uniting everyone.

"We are starting this journey with the belief that the people of India want the politics of uniting, not dividing," he was quoted as saying during the interaction.

The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra Conclave' was gone to by north of 150 civil society organisations, movements, professionals and Unions with the likes of Aruna Roy, Syeda Hameed, Sharad Behar, P V Rajgopal, Bezwada Wilson, Devanoora Mahadeva, GN Devy and Yogendra Yadav, participating in it.

The conclave took part in considerable conversations and communicated wide fortitude with the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a statement gave by the civil society representatives said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who took part in both sessions, said Rahul Gandhi spent almost 90 minutes interacting with about 150 civil society organisations drawn from 21-22 states of the country.

"He (Gandhi) answered questions from 35-40 people. He had no notes or pad in his hands, and definitely no tele-prompter," Ramesh said in an apparent swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who he often claims reads from the tele-prompter.

Gandhi identified these three pillars as the fundamental pillars of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra, Ramesh said.

"The yatra is by the Congress, its leaders are participating in it. It is a political yatra in a non-partisan way. We have appealed to other political parties, civil society groups and individuals who are worried, concerned, anguished and pained at the current state of the Indian democracy, society and economy to participate in the Yatra," he said.

"We will launch logo, tagline and website of this 3,500-km long yatra which will be the longest yatra mounted in this country over the last century or so," he added.

(With PTI inputs)