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P Chidambaram's 'goli maaro...' jibe at Anurag Thakur over Congress yatra remark
Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra reached the national capital on Saturday morning. Gandhi's mother Sonia Gandhi joined the yatra for the first time since it started on September 7.
Congress MP P Chidambaram on Saturday hit out at Union minister Anurag Thakur for his remarks on the party's ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which entered New Delhi amid Covid-19 scare.
Thakur reminded the Congress of the renewed Covid surge across the globe and advised: "mask up".
"Covid cases rising in China, Korea and Japan but the Congress is bothered about only one family. It's time to follow Covid protocol. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, did he or other Congress leaders who came in contact with the Himachal Pradesh chief minister, who tested positive, isolate or get tested?" Thakur said.
Hitting back, Chidambaram said, “look at the tremendous response to our yatra and the way people are gathering”. “It won't be surprising if Anurag Thakur says 'Goli Maaro...' which he said earlier...He's a big minister, we are small people,” news agency ANI quoted Chidambaram as saying.
A war of words broke out between the Congress and the BJP after the Union health ministry wrote to Gandhi earlier this week asking him to consider suspending his party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' if adherence to the Covid protocols cannot be followed.
In a letter addressed to Gandhi and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said three MPs from Rajasthan - P P Chaudhary, Nihal Chand and Devji Patel - have flagged concerns and requested him that Covid protocols, including use of masks and sanitisers, be strictly followed during the march and only those who are vaccinated be allowed to participate.
Rahul Gandhi said the ruling party can hold as many public meetings as it wants in the rest of India but sees Covid only where his Bharat Jodo Yatra is passing through. Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra reached the national capital on Saturday morning. Gandhi's mother Sonia Gandhi joined the yatra for the first time since it started on September 7. His sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, 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 crossed into Delhi from Haryana after starting the padayatra from NHPC metro station, Faridabad around 6am.
Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to reach the Red Fort around 4:30pm. The yatra will also visit Rajghat and pay tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
