Amid Punjabi folk dance bhangra and artists performing atop a number of vehicles in the cavalcade, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Punjab leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra started on a musical note. From Fatehgarh Sahib to Mandi Gobindgarh and further to Barmalipur where Yatra halted for night, the artists performed Bhangra on various songs as the cavalcade moved. A drummers’ band and a group of Nihangs moving with horses added another hue, making it a colorful road show as Rahul walked a distance behind. Also part of the cavalcade was a mobile ambulance run by former Congress minister Sangat Singh Gilzian and family. Gilzian faces an alleged corruption case registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. Large cut-outs of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were installed on the roadside throughout the stretch of first day of yatra. A number of tractor-trolleys were decked up with flex sheets carrying the photos of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders from Punjab with the slogan of Bharat Jodo Yatra. In Mandi Gobindgarh, with a portable mike in hand Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring shuffled between two zones – one for national yatris and other for State yatris, expressing gratitude for participating in the Yatra in good numbers. Warring had a special message for participants from the State – to remain part of the Yatra till the last day if they want to get a photo clicked with Rahul Gandhi. “Pehle din aaye o patandro, pehle din hi photo bhaalde o ki photo khichayiye te jayiye (You clever people have come on the first day and want to go back after getting photo clicked with Rahul Gandhi),” Warring told the gathering, triggering a laughter among them. He quickly added that he would ensure that none who would participate in the Yatra throughout the Punjab leg was left without getting a photo clicked with Rahul. Warring who made the address standing on a chair also urged the State yatris to ensure hospitality to national yatris as per the known ethos of Punjab. “Jo tusin aj keeta main saari umar tuhaada den nahi de sakda (What you have done today, I won’t be able to pay back in lifetime),” said Warring, thanking participants to turn up for the yatra.
