Sign in

Bharat Jodo Yatra wants to give hope to people, says Kanhaiya Kumar

Kanhaiya Kumar said Rahul Gandhi’s involvement and efforts in the Bharat Jodo Yatra has proved everyone wrong and called out the BJP for ‘tarnishing’ his image

Updated on: Nov 13, 2022, 16:39:09 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who is a Bharat Yatri along with Rahul Gandhi in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, claimed on Sunday that the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir foot march, which has reached Maharashtra, has been successful in fulfilling its objectives.

Kanhaiya Kumar (AFP)
Kanhaiya Kumar (AFP)

The yatra entered its 66th day on Sunday.

“First we were sceptical if people would be able to make it to the yatra, and what would their response be. We even questioned ourselves.. How do we make 25 km everyday... no one had that mindset and nor were we Forest Gump!” Kanhaiya Kumar said.

“But we remembered that man doesn’t walk by legs but rather by inspiration. This has been proved right through the yatra,” he added.

Criticising the lack of media attention the yatra received, Kanhaiya said, “Internal communication through word of mouth is exactly why the yatra has gained acceptance.”

Kanhaiya claimed that the yatra had addressed the ground problems of different sections of people. “Women have complained about price rise and inflation. Young people complained about unemployment. Farmers complained about price issues. These major issues have been addressed prominently through the yatra. Bharat Jodo Yatra wants to remove insecurity wants to give hope to people.”

The 3500-km-long Bharat Jodo Yatra was flagged off in September from Kanyakumari with an aim to unite India. It plans to be completed in 150 days covering 12 states and has already covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The Yatra is scheduled to culminate in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, by January 2023.

Kanhaiya Kumar also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “spreading lies” against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. While coming out in support of the leader, Kanhaiya called out the BJP for “tarnishing the image” of Rahul Gandhi and using fake news to divert the real issues of the country. He emphasised that Rahul’s involvement and efforts in the Bharat Jodo Yatra had proved everyone wrong. He added that the Bharat Jodo Yatra will now advance to its second phase, which was to ask the government of this nation to answer the queries of the people.

Notably, the Bharat Jodo Yatra has received strong support from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra wherin Aaditya Thackeray joined the march. Several Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders too marked their presence while stalwart Sharad Pawar backed out citing ‘health issues’. Maharashtra MP Supriya Sule too joined the march.

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.