Congress marks 4 years of Bharat Jodo Yatra, calls it a ‘turning point’ in Indian politics

The Congress on Monday described the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra as a “decisive turning point” in Indian politics that brought “new hope” and energy, as it marked the fourth anniversary of the march.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the yatra was not meant to sermonise a “Mann ki Baat”, but to listen to “Janta ki Chinta”.

Ramesh recalled that Gandhi launched the march from Kanyakumari on September 7, 2022, after visiting the Vivekananda Memorial. Accompanied by around 120 Bharat Yatris, Gandhi walked 4,080 km across 12 states and two Union territories over 145 days before the yatra culminated in a rally in Srinagar.

“This padyatra was a transformational event in contemporary Indian politics,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

According to Ramesh, the march drew support from millions of Indians concerned about widening economic inequalities, social polarisation and what he described as growing political authoritarianism.

He said the yatra was also an ideological challenge to what the Congress called the “systematic RSS/BJP assault” on constitutional principles, provisions, practices and procedures.

“Today we recall that decisive turning point that infused new hope, imparted new energy and inspired a new resolve,” Ramesh said.

During the march, Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street-corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He also held more than 275 planned walking interactions and over 100 sitting interactions.

The yatra attracted participation from people across different sections of society, including film and television personalities such as Kamal Haasan, Pooja Bhatt, Riya Sen, Swara Bhasker, Rashami Desai, Akanksha Puri and Amol Palekar.

Writers and military veterans, including former Army chief Gen (retd) Deepak Kapoor and former Navy chief Admiral (retd) L Ramdas, also joined the march. Former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan and former finance secretary Arvind Mayaram were among those who participated.

Several opposition leaders also walked with Gandhi at different stages of the yatra, including National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sanjay Raut, and NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule.

(With inputs from PTI)