21 parties invited for closing ceremony of Bharat Jodo Yatra

New Delhi: As the Bharat Jodo Yatra heads towards its conclusion, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written a letter to the presidents of 21 like-minded political parties inviting them to the closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 30.

Bouyed by the success of the Rahul Gandhi-led yatra, the Congress is planning to take out another Bharat Jodo Yatra, starting from Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2.

Citing that MPs of several political parties have walked with the yatra at different stages on the invitation of Mr Gandhi, the Congress president in his invitation letter averred, "At this event, we will commit ourselves to fighting hatred and violence, to spreading the message of truth, compassion and non-violence and to defending the constitutional values of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice for all. At this time of crisis for our country, where public attention is systematically diverted from people's issues, the yatra has emerged as a powerful voice. I hope you will participate and further strengthen its message."

In view of the success of the Kanyakumari to Jammu & Kashmir yatra led by Mr Gandhi so far, the party is planning to take out another Bharat Jodo Yatra that will start from Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2 and will end in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.

The yatra is expected to cross Gujarat and then enter the poll-bound states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Thereafter, it will move to West Bengal and Bihar.

The “Hath se hath jodo” campaign will kick off in February. This campaign will see Congress workers going to every booth in their respective constituencies and spreading the message of the party.

The details of the yatra are currently in the planning stages, though insiders claim that public contact till the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 is the main aim of the party. The proposed yatra will see extensive interaction with stakeholders in places where it passes through. Also, the participation of alliance partners will be discussed.

Meanwhile, the state units of the party are already taking out local yatras. Last week itself, Mr Kharge flagged off the statewide Bharat Jodo Yatra in Bihar.

The current yatra, which began on September 7 in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, will end on January 30 in Srinagar, with Mr Gandhi hoisting the national flag.

The march has so far covered more than 3,300 km, passing through Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.