New Delhi: The Bharat Jodo Yatra, launched on September 7, will reach a milestone on Saturday, covering 1000 kilometres. The 3500km yatra will be a historic event for the Indian National Congress and is set to be the longest foot march by any Indian in the history of the country.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra will reach this milestone after reaching the outskirts of Ballari district on Saturday.
Several co-marchers, including MLAs, MLC, block and district INC committees, workers, cadres and support staff were surprised at the energy level that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi displayed en route. He travelled across the three southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka covering a distance of 25 kilometres.
In Tamil Nadu, over one lakh people joined Bharat Jodo Yatra while in Kerala, it was close to 1.25 lakhs, and in Karnataka, till Friday, it was around 1.50 lakh people. It is anticipated that there would be close to two lakh individuals when it reaches Andhra Pradesh.
As part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, during its leg in backward areas of Badanavalu village in Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi inaugurated a path with colourful interlocking tiles connecting the Dalit quarters of the village with that of the Lingayat community. Named ‘Bharat Jodo’ Road, the path was renovated within 48 hours by the INC, in a bid to send out a message of harmony among communities.
Rahul Gandhi, during the yatra in Chitradurga, met several women from the tribal communities and interacted with them. They were from Banjara, Dakkaliga, Sudugadu Siddha, Dombaru, and Dhombi Dasa. The women were dressed in their traditional attires and even presented a dance in his honour.
Gandhi also interacted with over 2000 unemployed youth from all over Karnataka. He met them and inquired about their strengths and skills, the causes of their unemployment, and how they led their lives and supported their families.
Despite lakhs of people joining the yatra in various stages, scheduled in two sessions - 7 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 7 pm - Gandhi made sure that he met people from ordinary walks of life -farmers, fisherfolk (both inland and marine), construction workers, teachers, village-level leaders and even some prominent people, writers scholars and intellectuals during the intermittent period.
Even before setting out on this odyssey, Rahul Gandhi had told his Yatra managers to arrange the Bharat Jodo Yatra in such a way that he could see the real India. After meeting an entire cross-section of the society so far, people in the close circles of Rahul Gandhi feel that the objective of the Yatra has been realised to a great extent.