Rahul rates long march among life’s most beautiful experiences
Congress leader thanks people of country on eve of journey’s culmination
On the eve of the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India March), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the foot march has been one of the “most beautiful and profound experiences of my life.”
Addressing the press conference on the eve of the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi said, “I got to learn a lot from Bharat Jodo Yatra. I met lakhs [hundreds of thousands] of people and talked to them. The aim of the Yatra [march] was to unite India. We travelled against the hatred and the violence that is being spread. Bharat Jodo Yatra received a great response in the country.
“No one was expecting that we will receive so much response. We saw the resilience and strength of the people of India during this journey. We raised the issues of inflation and unemployment. We also got to hear about the issues being faced by farmers, and unemployed youth in the country. Bharat Jodo Yatra has been one of the most beautiful and profound experiences of my life.
“I want to thank everyone. The people of the country, CRPF [Central Reserve Police Force] and police personnel who helped us during the yatra,” he added.
When asked about the impact of the march on Kashmir and national politics, he said, “This yatra is not ours because in this yatra people of the country travelled more than the party workers and leaders,” he said.
‘Just the beginning’
“The yatra has given one alternative vision. The yatra will have an impact on the Indian polity but cannot tell yet what exactly it will be. The yatra has not ended, this is just the beginning,” Rahul contended.
Earlier in the day, Rahul, accompanied by his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, unfurled the national flag at the clock tower of Lal Chowk in Srinagar as the march entered its penultimate day before it concludes today.
The march will head to Nehru Park in the Boulevard area of the city and will culminate today. The march had resumed on Friday morning from the National Highway-44, Banihal Railway station, in the Union Territory’s Ramban district.
Security was tightened in the area in the wake of twin blasts on the outskirts of Jammu city on January 22, which rocked a busy locality in Narwal leaving at least nine people injured.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that permission to unfurl the national tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk was granted by the state administration yesterday. The Congress party had been plannng to hoist the national flag at the PCC Office today to mark the end of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started in Kanyakumari on September 7, has traversed 3,970 km, 12 states, and two Union Territories as it heads to its culmination in Srinagar.