'Yatra Continues Till Hatred Is Eradicated': Rahul Gandhi On Bharat Jodo March Anniversary

On the first anniversary of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi said the yatra will continue till hatred is eradicated and India is united.

Rahul Gandhi said the yatra will continue till hatred is eradicated and India is united. ( Image Source :PTI )

Marking the first anniversary of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the yatra will continue till hatred is eradicated and India is united. Gandhi took to X, formerly Twitter, also shared a video montage of his over 4,000 km Kanyakumari to Kashmir yatra that was launched on this day last year.

In a post in Hindi, Gandhi said, "The crores of steps of Bharat Jodo Yatra towards unity and love have become the foundation of a better tomorrow for the country." "The journey continues - till hatred is eradicated, till India unites. This is my promise!" the former Congress chief said.

भारत जोड़ो यात्रा के एकता और मोहब्बत की ओर करोड़ों कदम, देश के बेहतर कल की बुनियाद बने हैं।

यात्रा जारी है - नफ़रत मिटने तक, भारत जुड़ने तक।

ये वादा है मेरा! pic.twitter.com/8LqTx7ZupV

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 7, 2023

During the yatra, Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions. The march saw participation from a cross-section of society, including film and TV celebrities such as Kamal Haasan, Pooja Bhatt, Riya Sen, Swara Bhasker, Rashami Desai, Akanksha Puri and Amol Palekar.

Besides, writers and military veterans, including former Army chief Gen (Retd) Deepak Kapoor and ex-Navy chief Admiral (Retd) L Ramdas, and noted people such as former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and ex-finance secretary Arvind Mayaram in the yatra.

Opposition leaders such as National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sanjay Raut and NCP's Supriya Sule, had also walked alongside Gandhi at various points in time during the march.

Bharat Jodo Yatra Is People’s Movement, Unequalled In History, Says Mallikarjun Kharge 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also praised the 4,000 km yatra and said that it was a people's movement and unequaled in history. He congratulated Rahul Gandhi on the occasion and said that the yatra 'carried a message of unity in diversity".  

"Bharat Jodo Yatra is a People’s Movement, unequalled in history. As the Yatra completes one year today, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, I congratulate Rahul Gandhi, all Bharat Yatris and the lakhs of our citizens who walked and joined in this historic endeavour. From Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Bharat Jodo Yatra covered more than 4000 Kms and carried a message of unity in diversity, with lakhs of people from all walks of life," he said.

#BharatJodoYatra is a People’s Movement, unequalled in history.

As the Yatra completes one year today, on behalf of the Indian National Congress, I congratulate Shri @RahulGandhi, all Bharat Yatris and the lakhs of our citizens who walked and joined in this historic endeavour.… pic.twitter.com/0jCAbvzU2A

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 7, 2023

Kharge said that the trend of manufacturing irrelevant headlines to divert attention from the real issues of people to hide the agenda of hate and division is a systemic attack on our collective conscience.

"The Yatra seeks to bring real issues of economic inequalities, price rise, unemployment, social injustices, subversion of Constitution, centralisation of power, to the centre stage of people’s imagination.The Yatra continues to fight the menace of hate and hostility in our society through a conversation. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not just a physical endeavour, it is a sincere effort to rebuild our broken collective conscience," Kharge said. "Our ingrained values of Justice, Liberty Equality, and Fraternity, for us, are supreme. The Congress party is continuously reaching out to people in an endeavour to reclaim our Constitution and protect our Democracy. Today, Bharat Jodo Yatra continues...," he added.

Wherever Bharat Jodo Yatra Went, It Won Hearts, Says KC Venugopal 

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said, "Nafrat ke Bazaar mein Mohabbat ki Dukaan (In the market of hatred, shops of love). A 4081 km-long tapasya (penance), which transformed the course of Indian politics."

"Wherever the Bharat Jodo Yatra went, it won hearts and began the countdown for the BJP-RSS to be thrown out of power. Lakhs of Congressmen and Congresswomen embarked upon a historic pilgrimage - to save the idea of India. We are proud of our sacrifices for Bharat Mata, our commitment to India," he said.

"The Bharat Jodo Yatra will touch every Indian, until hate is defeated and the voiceless find a voice. The Yatra continues," Venugopal said. The Bharat Jodo Yatra began on September 7 last year from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari and passed through 12 states and two Union Territories and passed 75 districts and 76 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Congress To Hold Rallies Across Delhi To Mark First Anniversary Of Bharat Jodo Yatra Today

The Delhi Congress will commemorate the first anniversary of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra by organising rallies in all districts of the national capital on Thursday (September 7). In line with the directives from the All India Congress Committee (AICC), these rallies are scheduled to commence at 5 PM, and participation by all Delhi Congress leaders is expected.

While addressing a press conference in Delhi, party leader and former MLA Mukesh Sharma revealed these plans and highlighted the enthusiasm among Congress workers and the general public for the anniversary rallies. Despite Janmashtami celebrations taking place on September 7, there is considerable anticipation for the Bharat Jodo Yatra anniversary events.