To mark the first anniversary of the Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7, all district units of the Congress party will hold padayatras in their respective areas.
A circular from the party’s general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal to all party units read: “To commemorate the first anniversary of this historic Bharat Jodo Yatra, on the remarkable day of 7th September 2023, as per the directions of the Hon’ble Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji, the party has decided to organize ‘Bharat Jodo Padyatra’ from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm at all districts.”
Last year, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, along with 120 ‘Bharat Yatris’, had launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kanniyakumari on September 7.
The padayatra or foot march covered more than 4,000 km across 14 States and ended in Srinagar on January 30 after 145 days.
The party is planning to mark in a big way the beginning of the cross-country march that saw Mr. Gandhi, along with several party leaders, interact with a wide cross-section of society.
During the course of the yatra, Mr. Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings, and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions.
Though there are plans to launch another edition of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on the east-west corridor in a hybrid mode, where the yatris will walk as well as use a bus, there is no clarity on its timing.
During the recent Monsoon Session of Parliament, when BJP MP from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, pointed out in the Lok Sabha that the Congress leader didn’t go to Ladakh, Mr. Gandhi had said, “The yatra is not yet over.”
Soon after, on August 18, Mr. Gandhi undertook a week-long bike yatra in the Leh-Ladakh region and covered areas like Pangong Tso, Dras and Kargil.
