With huge expectations from the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, the Telangana Congress has sought changes in the route map in the state to ensure that the walk covers the central part of Telangana rather than the districts abutting the neighbouring Karnataka.
As per the original plan drafted by the All India Congress Committee, Mr. Gandhi is supposed to enter Telangana on October 24 to cover 366 km. However, the TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy has now sought some changes in the route so that the Gandhi scion can touch north Telangana districts like Adilabad and Nizamabad apart from central part areas like Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts before entering Maharashtra.
The new route suggested will add 30 km to the already planned 366 km and Mr. Gandhi may have to spend an additional two days. The yatra will enter the State in Makthal in Mahabubnagar district from Raichur in Karnataka. The Telangana Congress plans a massive public meeting at the border on the Telangana side just beside river Krishna.
Mr. Reddy said the walkathon will be coordinated by the leaders from 17 Parliament constituencies who would be with Mr. Gandhi while he would be the backroom boy along with other seniors. Every leader would get an opportunity to travel with Mr. Gandhi in the walkathon that the party expects to give fillip to and galvanise the party cadre.
Though Mr. Gandhi is expected to travel 25 km every day as per the present plan it is unlikely that he would cover that distance given the crowds that would prefer to interact with him and invariably delay the yatra. “He has the energy to walk 50 km per day but there is bound to be more stoppages than expected at every place,” Mr. N.S. Bose Raju, AICC secretary said.
Mr. Gandhi will start from 7 am and walk till 11 am before stopping for lunch. He will resume his walk from 4 pm and end at 6 pm and stay at the village where the day ends. To ensure he covers 25 Kms every day there might be some changes in the timings as well. The 150-day Bharat Jodo Yatra will start on September 7 and cover 3,500 kms from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
