Congress to hold yatras at district level to mark first anniversary of Bharat Jodo Yatra: Sources

The party is planning to mark in a big way the beginning of the cross-country march that saw Rahul Gandhi, along with several party leaders, traverse over 4,000 kilometres
By: PTI
New Delhi | September 3, 2023 16:31 IST
The Congress is set to hold yatras at the district level to commemorate the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, which was launched on September 7 last year, sources said on Sunday.

The party is planning to mark in a big way the beginning of the cross-country march that saw Rahul Gandhi, along with several party leaders, traverse over 4,000 kilometres and interact with a cross-section of society.

The sources said yatras will be held at the district level to mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7 last year.
They said the modalities of how long the yatras will be and other details are being worked out. Gandhi launched the yatra on September 7, 2022, in Kanyakumari. It ended on January 30 this year as Gandhi capped his ambitious 145-day journey in Srinagar.

“I have not done this (yatra) for myself or for the Congress but for the people of the country. Our aim is to stand against the ideology that wants to destroy the foundation of this country,” Gandhi had said at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar at a rally marking the grand finale of the cross-country march.

During the course of the yatra, 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.

Many experts had said a big takeaway from the yatra for the Congress had been Gandhi’s image transformation — from a reluctant and part-time politician to one who is mature and taken seriously by opponents.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary, considered the brain behind the yatra along with party colleague Digvijaya Singh, had said back then that the transformation of Gandhi’s image was not the cause of the yatra but a consequence of it.