Rahul Gandhi along with K C Venugopal and other Congress leaders in Kerala (Twitter)Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra Highlights: On Day 6 of the 3,570-km march, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kaniyapuram in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, Congress and BJP traded jibes over an image of a pair of brown shorts on fire tweeted by the Congress’ official Twitter handle. In its response, the BJP said that the Congress was “instigating violence”, “hurting nationalists”, and “lighting fires”, and that the post exposed the lies behind its Bharat Jodo Yatra. Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at the BJP over its dig on a t-shirt Rahul Gandhi had recently worn. “This Bharat Jodo Yatra is about inflation and unemployment, if they want to make issues out of containers, shoes and t-shirts, it shows they are afraid. They say anything, jhooth ki factory overtime chal rahi hai (factory of lies is working over time),” Ramesh said.
The rally entered Kerala on Saturday evening with thousands of Congress workers giving him a rousing welcome at the Tamil Nadu border. On Sunday, the party launched its Malayalam anthem of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the presence of senior leaders K C Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party leaders waves at supporters during the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' at Parassala, Thiruvananthapuram, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (PTI Photo)
The apex child rights body NCPCR has asked the Election Commission to initiate necessary action and inquiry into a complaint against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi for allegedly "misusing children as political tools" in the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights said it is in receipt of a complaint wherein it has been alleged that Gandhi and the Jawahar Bal Manch are targeting children with political intentions and making them to get involved in political activities.
According to the complainant, it has been alleged that "many disturbing images and videos have been circulating on social media wherein it can be seen that children are being targeted and are made to participate in their campaign with a political agenda under the slogan 'Bharat Jodo, Bacche Jodo'," the NCPCR said.
The NCPCR charged that this is a violation of Election Commission rules which say that only adults can be part of a political party.
"Since there is a prima-facie violation of child rights. Further, use of children as props to fulfil political agenda is child abuse which can have a severe long term impact on their mental health and is against is Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The commission thereby requests your good offices to look into the matter and have a thorough inquiry of the events and take necessary action against the political party and its members who have been mentioned in the complaint,” it said in its letter to the Election Commission.
The Congress has launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra with an aim to strengthen the party's grassroots level connection. The yatra, which began on September 7, will cover 3,570 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over a period of five months. (PTI)
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday shared tips on yoga with those participating in the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' after he came to know that some of the regular yatris were facing physical difficulties as a result of the march.
Chennithala came to know through Youth Congress national general secretary Vidya Balakrishnan about the difficulties some yatris were facing, party workers participating in the Kerala leg of the yatra said.
Subsequently, he not only shared various the tips with the yatris, but also did yoga in front of them, the party workers said.
Seeing him, the yatris joined him, the party workers said and shared photographs of the senior Congress leader and former Leader of
Opposition in the State Assembly doing yoga.
He shared with them also his experiences during the seven times he participated in processions across Kerala by foot and by vehicle, they said. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a crowd at Kallambalam, Kerala, as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi said, "even though the feet have blisters, We are out to unite the country, We are not going to stop. #BharatJodoYatra."
When the yatra reached its first halt point of the day at Attingal here, AICC general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "The padayatra has just reached the morning break point at Mamom near Attingal, where there will be a number of interactions with different groups." The yatra is scheduled to resume at 5 pm and end for the day at Kallambalam junction here.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday shared an image of himself meeting a supporter during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. "100 km done... and we have just begun," Gandhi said.
Gandhi will be completing the 3,570 km padyatra in Kanyakumari over a span of 150 days.
The third day of the Kerala leg of Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra commenced on Tuesday from Kaniyapuram near Kazhakootam here where the yatra ended on the previous day.
The third day of the yatra, which commenced around 7.15 am, also saw an encouraging turnout of people like the previous two days of the Kerala leg of the foot march which is set to cover 3,570 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over a 150-day period.
When the yatra ended on Monday evening it had covered 100 kilometres. Addressing a large crowd at Kazhakootam, where the yatra had ended for the day, Gandhi had said that elections can be won with hatred, violence and anger, but this cannot solve the socio-economic problems facing the country. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kaniyapuram in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday morning.
He's expected to halt in Attingal at 11 am and then resume the padyatra at 5 pm.
Visuals shared by the Congress party of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on early Tuesday morning showed Rahul Gandhi walking alongside other party leaders and interacting with children in Thiruvananthapuram.
The CPI(M)’s surprise criticism of the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra Monday contrasting the days Rahul Gandhi will spend on his march in the Left-ruled Kerala with those in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh has brought the finer points of the Yatra into the spotlight.
According to the details emerging from the Congress camp, the Yatra would spend the maximum time in Rajasthan and Karnataka: 21 days. Both states are bound for elections next year: While the Assembly elections are due in Karnataka in May 2023, Rajasthan will go to polls along with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana six months later.
However, the Congress leaders insist that the Yatra is not aimed at state-specific elections. They argue that it will, for instance, not go to Gujarat where the Assembly elections are due this year-end. Similarly, it will not pass through Chhattisgarh. Read more
Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Thiruvananthapuram not only drew thousands to the procession and to catch a glimpse of party leader Rahul Gandhi, but also attracted pickpockets for whom the large crowd would have appeared as a veritable honeypot.
An officer of Karamana police station said incidents of pickpocketing were reported in areas which the yatra passed through a day ago and on Monday, prompting the law enforcers to examine CCTV footage of the places where the crimes occurred.
"From the CCTV footage, a four-member gang was identified. They were not part of the yatra. Not sure if they were from Tamil Nadu or if they were behind the reported incidents of pickpocketing," the officer said.
When people congregate in such large numbers, pickpockets are sure to come, he added.
Nevertheless, officers in plainclothes have been deployed to keep a watch on the situation, he said. (PTI)
In a tweet on Monday, the Congress’s official social media handle shared a graphic of shorts resembling the RSS khaki knickers on fire, with text that read, “145 days more to go”. The party captioned the image: “To free the country from shackles of hate and undo the damage done by BJP-RSS. Step by step, we will reach our goal.”
The BJP hit back quickly, saying that it was the Congress that was “instigating violence”, “hurting nationalists”, and “lighting fires”, and that the post exposed the lies behind its Bharat Jodo Yatra.
At a press conference, senior leader and head of the Congress’s communication wing, Jairam Ramesh, said: “Those who stoke the fires of hatred, bigotry and prejudice, must be prepared to take some things back in the same coin…The RSS and the BJP are not used to aggressive responses from the Congress…If they are aggressive, we will be double aggressive, let’s understand this”. Read more here
BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan on Monday demanded an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent meeting with a pastor in Kanyakumari, which sparked a controversy.
Srinivasan alleged the pastor was 'anti-Hindu, anti-national'.
'Rahul Gandhi owes an explanation to the people of the nation, whether he subscribed to the view of George Ponnaiah on Hindus and Bharat Mata. Gandhi should also reveal what transpired between the pastor and him, and the topic of their discussion, she said in a statement here.
The Congress MP from Wayanad in Kerala had no time to visit Hindu places of worship in the State, but made it a point to meet Ponnaiah, she said.
Earlier, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, while sharing the video of Gandhi with a priest, had said, 'George Ponnaiah who met Rahul Gandhi says 'Jesus is the only God unlike Shakti (& other Gods).' AICC general secretary-communications Jairam
Ramesh had hit back, saying BJP's 'hate factory' is sharing tweets about Gandhi which has no relation to the audio.
Gandhi launched his 3,570-km 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari on September 7. He had during the course of the march by foot met the pastor and the others. (PTI)
RSS Joint General Secretary Manmohan Vaidya on Monday said the Congress wants to connect people through hatred, while asserting that the party's earlier generations party too harboured hatred and contempt for the Sangh.
The Congress on Monday tweeted a picture of a burning pair of khakhi shorts -- a part of the RSS uniform earlier, saying, "To free the country from shackles of hate and undo the damage done by BJP-RSS. Step by step, we will reach our goal" while referring to its Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the three-day coordination meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) here, Vaidya claimed there was "growing support" for Hindutva in the society.
"They (Congress) want to connect people through hatred. Can you unite India through hatred? They have harboured hatred and contempt for us for a long time. Their earlier generations (baap-dada) too tried to stop the RSS but we kept growing as we were supported by the people," he said.
The ‘Akhil Bharatiya Samanvay Baithak' or annual national coordination meeting of the RSS was attended by Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, its sarkaryavah (general secretary) Dattatreya Hosabale and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda among other leaders. (PTI)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Monday criticised the Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', saying spending 18 days in Left-ruled Kerala and just two in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh is a "strange way to fight BJP-RSS".
The remark prompted a strong response from the Congress which derided the Left as the "A team" of the BJP in the southern state.
The CPI(M) tweeted a caricature of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with text wondering if it was a "Bharat Jodo" or "Seat Jodo" campaign. "18 days in Kerala...2 days in UP. Strange way to fight BJP-RSS," read the text.
The photo also carried maps of Kerala and Uttar Pradesh illustrating the difference in their size. Responding to the tweet, Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, said, "Do your homework better on how and why yatra was planned the way it is. And silly criticism from a party that is the A team of BJP in the land of MunduModi." (PTI)
Hitting back at BJP over its T-shirt barb at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah's muffler costs Rs 80,000 while saffron party leaders wear sunglasses worth Rs 2.5 lakh.
The chief minister said the opposition is worried because the 'Bharat Jodo yatra' is getting an "extraordinary response" from people.
"What problems do they have with the Bharat Jodo Yatra? They are talking about Rahul Gandhi's T-shirt while they themselves wear sunglasses of Rs 2.5 lakh and muffler of Rs 80,000. The price of the muffler which the home minister wears is Rs 80,000," Gehlot told reporters in Churu.
"They (BJP) are doing politics on T-shirts," he added.
Gehlot said the public response to the yatra was extraordinary and the BJP leaders were perturbed.
"Prime Minister, Home Minister and other leaders are leaving their work and attacking Rahul Gandhi," he said.
The BJP on Friday took a dig at Rahul Gandhi by suggesting that he was wearing a T-shirt costing over Rs 41,000 during the Bharat Jodo Yatra which started from Kanyakumari last week. (PTI)
Besides children, youngsters and the elderly who briefly walked with the Wayanad MP during the yatra, senior Congress leaders like party MPs Shashi Tharoor, K C Venugopal, KPCC president K Sudhakaran and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan also accompanied Rahul Gandhi.
For more photos, click here
A strong Congress is an important pillar of Opposition unity and its allies should understand that the party will not allow itself to be weakened, senior leader Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, he said the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' has infused new energy in party organisation and claimed that the BJP is rattled by the response it is getting among the people.
Ramesh said the yatra is aimed at strengthening the Congress, which is important for Opposition unity.
"I am happy that after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, everybody has seen that the elephant has awakened, the elephant is moving forward and all parties are seeing what the Congress is doing," he said.
Noting that statements will keep coming from the BJP and from the Congress allies, Ramesh said Opposition unity will only be possible when the Congress is strong.
"Opposition unity does not mean weakening the Congress. Our allies should also understand that we will not allow ourselves to be weakened further. We will strengthen ourselves. A strong Congress is an important pillar of Opposition unity," he said. (PTI)
When asked about the BJP's attack on a t-shirt Rahul Gandhi was seen wearing on the padyatra, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "I won't talk about t-shirt, underwear, vests... you will laugh if I tell you where that t-shirt was bought and for how much."
"This Bharat Jodo Yatra is about inflation and unemployment, if they want to make issues out of containers, shoes and t-shirts, it shows they are afraid. They say anything, jhooth ki factory overtime chal rahi hai (factory of lies is working over time)," Ramesh said.
In a press briefing on Monday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS, saying that they spread hate and rumours. “BJP ki rajneeti todne ki hai, jodne ki nahi (BJP’s politics is divisive not of uniting),” Ramesh said. He reiterated that Congress has started the Bharat Jodo Yatra with the aim to fight hatred.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday tweeted, "With Rahul Gandhi ‘fighting against Indian State’, Congress ceases to be political party with faith in constitutional means."
He was responding to an image shared by the official Twitter handle of the Congress party which showed brown shorts -- similar to RSS' khaki shorts -- on fire. The tweet said, "To free the country from shackles of hate and undo the damage done by BJP-RSS."
Surya in his tweet added, "Congress fire burnt Delhi in 1984. It’s ecosystem burnt alive 59 karsevaks in Godhra in 2002. They have again given their ecosystem a call for violence."
Among the scores of people joining Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, retired athlete Padmini Thomas joined the padyatra in Kerala's Palayam.
Sharing an image of a pair of brown shorts -- similar to RSS' khaki shorts -- on fire, the Congress party said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra was undertaken to "free the country from shackles of hate and undo the damage done by BJP-RSS."
The padyatra halted at Thiruvananthapuram's Pattom at 11 am and will resume at 5 pm. Check out today's schedule here:
The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi started on its 19-day Kerala leg on Sunday after completing the Tamil Nadu stage in four days. In Tamil Nadu, reports of the march generated goodwill in some quarters, according to the Congress, while one functionary said the party should have covered more districts in a state where it has nine MPs.
While Congress leaders criticised a section of the media for not providing “deserving coverage, the party shared visuals and messages from the yatra on social media.
State Congress spokesperson Anand Srinivasan said the party was happy with the overall response in the first three days of the yatra, which began on September 7. “At many places, there was an overwhelming response from the ordinary people and Rahul being an approachable leader gave them the confidence to walk to him and greet him,” he added. Read more
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is now on Day 5 of his 3,570-km padyatra, on Monday resumed the Bharat Jodo march from Vellayani Junction in Thiruvananthapuram.