New Delhi: Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain (retired) Bana Singh on Friday joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' that began its Jammu and Kashmir leg on Thursday.
Appreciating Captain Bana Singh's presence in the yatra, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Whenever we speak of protecting India and its ideals, the names of brave sons of the country like Bana Singh are taken.”
"Captain Bana Singh, a Param Vir Chakra winner who hoisted the tricolour on the icy heights of Siachen, is an inspiration to me and every patriot," Rahul Gandhi added in his tweet.
He posted a photo where the Congress leader can be seen holding Captain Bana Singh's hand as the foot march passed through Kathua district on Friday.
Notably, Captain Bana Singh (Retd) was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry award, for his contribution to 'Operation Rajiv'.
Singh is known to have captured Pakistan's Qaid Post in Siachen Glacier and hoisted the national flag. The post was renamed 'Bana Post' after that.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sen leader Sanjay Raut also joined the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Kathua earlier in the day.
"Bharat Jodo Yatra coming to Kashmir is a huge thing, in fact, the yatra should have started from here only to unite the nation. This is the only reason I came from Shiv Sena's side because we want the nation to unite," ANI quoted Raut as saying.
It is to be noted that the foot march, which kicked off from Kanyakumari on September 7, entered Jammu and Kashmir from Punjab on Thursday evening, and is scheduled to end in Srinagar on January 30.
“Today is the 126th day of the yatra which crossed different states and finally reached J&K where it will spend the last 10 days. Today, we covered 21 km under the leadership of Gandhi,” Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
He said after a break on Saturday, the Bharat Jodo Yatra will resume on Sunday from Hiranagar in Kathua and will reach Jammu on January 23. It will take another break on January 26 (Republic Day) before commencing in Kashmir valley.