NE NEWS SERVICE
KANNYAKUMARI, SEP 7
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday kicked off the Congress’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as he along with other party leaders and workers began the rally in Tamil Nadu’s Kannyakumari.
LIVE: Launch of the #BharatJodoYatra | Kanyakumari | Tamil Nadu https://t.co/jleOIeqQuF
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 7, 2022
Ahead of the much-touted 3,570-km yatra, Gandhi also paid a visit to Vivekananda Memorial in the coastal town. While Congress leaders have denied any political angle to this initiative, many are seeing this as the party’s attempts to solidify its base to take on the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a party rally in Kanyakumari, Rahul Gandhi said: “It gives me great joy to begin Bharat Jodo Yatra from this beautiful place. The national flag represents the religion & language of every single person living in this country. They (BJP & RSS) think that this flag is their personal property.”
Gandhi accused the BJP-RSS of dividing the country on religious lines, adding that every single institution of the country is under attack as he also sought the support of people to help keep the country united.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi called ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ a landmark occasion of the party and said she was confident that the organisation will be rejuvenated with the initiative. “I will be participating daily in thought and spirit,” she added.
Lost my father to politics of hate, but will not lose country to it: Rahul
LIVE: Shri Rajiv Gandhi Memorial | Sriperumbudur | Tamil Nadu https://t.co/HSzsAXJQHL
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 7, 2022
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi attended a prayer meeting at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur, where the former prime minister was assassinated in a suicide bomb blast in 1991. The Wayanad MP also paid floral tribute to his father and sat in front of the memorial for about 25 minutes.
He later wrote on Twitter: “I lost my father to the politics of hate and division. I will not lose my beloved country to it too. Love will conquer hate. Hope will defeat fear. Together, we will overcome.”
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin welcomes Rahul
Gandhi was welcomed by Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin who had also joined the Congress leader for the prayer meet at the Gandhi Memorial.
In a symbolic gesture of the commencement of Bharat Jodo Yatra, MK Stalin had also handed over the national flag to Rahul Gandhi as both the leaders saluted the tricolour.
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Rahul has begun journey to retrieve India’s soul, says TN CM
The yatra will officially begin at 7am on Thursday when Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, will embark on the journey on foot.
The yatra which began in Kanyakumari will then move northwards passing through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and culminate in Srinagar.
Country can plunge into civil war if hate allowed to spread: Ashok Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday warned the country could plunge into civil war if hatred over caste and religion is allowed to spread.
Addressing a press conference here ahead of the launch of the party’s 3,570-km ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Gehlot also said there was a need to give the slogan of ‘Bharat Jodo’ as an atmosphere had been created in the country, for the first time since Independence, that there is hate, tension and violence. The whole country is concerned about this, he said.
