Bharat Jodo Yatra: A March for a New Dawn of Hope in India says Rahul Gandhi

29-01-2023 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi unfurled the national flag at the historic Lal Chowk clock tower in Srinagar on Sunday as part of the Kanyakumari-Kashmir “Bharat Jodo Yatra”. The 10-minute event was heavily guarded with all roads within a one-kilometer radius of the clock tower sealed off, barricades set up and concertina wires installed at all entry points, along with a heavy deployment of security personnel.

The chowk holds symbolic importance for the city. Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with party leaders and workers, resumed the final lap of the yatra in Jammu and Kashmir from Srinagar’s Pantha Chowk. The group walked eight kilometers to Sonwar, raising slogans such as “Jodo Jodo Bharat Jodo”. Gandhi and Priyanka later drove to the party headquarters and then to Lal Chowk where Rahul unfurled the national flag. Gandhi tweeted after the event that the “promise made to India was fulfilled today. Hate will lose, love will always win. There will be a new dawn of hope in India.” The yatra was launched on September 7, 2022, in Kanyakumari and has traversed 12 states and two Union Territories. It will culminate with the hoisting of the national flag at the Congress office on Monday. On Monday, a public rally will also be held at the SK Stadium with 21 opposition political parties invited by the Congress. The yatra had been cancelled in Anantnag district due to security concerns but resumed in Pulwama district’s Awantipora, where Gandhi was joined by PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and her daughter Iltija Mufti.

According to reports, the yatra saw the participation of thousands and thousands of people, including women and local residents, who joined in the march and raised slogans. The yatra received widespread media coverage, with a significant number of people following the journey online through social media platforms.