“Dogs, cows, pigs came in Bharat Jodo Yatra…” Rahul Gandhi at Red Fort

New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who is leading the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Saturday said that the march has been a replica of India where there was no hatred and violence and all the people and animals were welcomed.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s mass outreach campaign, Bharat Jodo Yatra, entered the national capital on Saturday. The party held a mega public rally in front of Red Fort.

Rahul Gandhi said from Red Fort, “In Bharat Jodo Yatra, dogs also came but no one harmed them. Cow, buffaloes, pigs, all animals came. All the people came. This Yatra is like our India, I have not seen any hatred or violence among people while walking 2,800 kms, and I have not seen violence or hatred anywhere in the country. But when I turn on the TV, there is hatred all the time. 24 hours there is only Hindu-Muslim in media.”

Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre, Rahul Gandhi said Hindu-Muslim propaganda is being done to divert attention from the real issues.

“It is not Narendra Modi’s government. All of your money, the money of farmers and labourers, airports, ports, and roads go straight to the pockets of their masters. It is Ambani and Adani government. Hindu-Muslim is being done to divert attention from the real issues. Today degree holder youths are selling ‘pakoras’,” said the Wayanad MP.

He further said, “BJP spent thousands of crores to damage my image. When I came to politics in 2004, our government came to power and the media used to praise me throughout the day. They used to do Rahul Gandhi…Rahul Gandhi all the day. Then I went to Bhatta Parsaul (in UP) and raised the issue of farmers’ land and they turned against me.

Speaking from Red Fort, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said BJP feared the Bharat Jodo Yatra and wanted to stop the march giving the excuse of COVID.

“BJP is in fear due to Bharat Jodo Yatra and is taking the excuse of COVID. There is no COVID anywhere. Nothing happened to anyone. PM Modi himself does not wear a mask. All this is being done to create fear and break this Yatra,” Kharge said.

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan also joined Bharat Jodo Yatra on Saturday.

Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan also joined Bharat Jodo Yatra on Saturday.

Kamal Haasan, who was also present at the public rally at Red Fort, said, “Many people ask me why I am here. I am here as an Indian. My father was a Congressman. I had various ideologies and started my own political party. But when it comes to the country, all political party lines have to blur. I blurred that line and came here. I stood in front of the mirror and said to myself, this is when the country needs me the most. Then a voice came from inside me – ‘Kamal… do not help break India, help unite.”

Bharat Jodo Yatra entered the national capital on Saturday morning. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined the yatra for the first time since it started on September 7.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and her husband Robert Vadra also joined. This will be the last day of the yatra in this phase as it goes a nine-day break till next year.

The foot march entered Delhi from Haryana after starting from NHPC metro station, Faridabad around 6 am.

The Yatra also visited Rajghat and paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

Several MPs of different parties accompanied Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra today.

Asked about the MPs joining Bharat Jodo, Jairam Ramesh told ANI that all the party leaders were invited to join the Yatra.

 “We have invited all the party leaders to join Bharat Jodo. Whoever wants to come, Nitin Gadkari wants to come, he is also welcome, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also wants to come, he is also welcome. (Former Vice) President Venkaiah Naidu, and (former President) Ram Nath Kovind are also welcome,” he said.

Jairam Ramesh also divulged that the party is mulling starting another mass contacting campaign, ‘Haath se Haath Jodo’ from January 26.

“After this, the party will start a ‘Haath se Haath Jodo’ campaign from January 26 to March 26, which will convey the message of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to every booth and every block and the success the yatra earned in the 108 days will also be spread to every booth and block during it,” Congress leader told ANI.

The Centre has issued cautionary notes to Bharat Jodo Yatra amid the growing concerns over rising COVID cases in several countries including neighbouring China.

So far, the Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, has covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra and Haryana.

It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress has claimed.

With this Yatra, Rahul Gandhi aims to mobilise the party cadre and unite the general public against the BJP’s “divisive politics in the country”. (ANI)

Courtesy : The Print

Note: This news piece was originally published in theprint.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights.