Day 2 of Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra: Notes from the road

Man of many tongues

The polyglot in Jairam Ramesh was on full display Friday. Ahead of a press conference addressed by Rahul Gandhi, Ramesh spoke to the restive press corps, who were hustling to find seats and camera positions, in English, Hindi, Tamil and Kannada. One person, one question, he told the gathered reporters before smiling and referring to the Congress’s one-person-one-post rule.

Church break

The morning break for the yatra was at a church. Gandhi’s press conference, too, was in a hall on the premises of the Muttidichan Parai church. Some of the yatris were seen resting and taking a brief nap inside the structure while hundreds of party workers milled about outside.

Role play

Among the hundreds of party workers who turned up for the yatra, two stood out — one dressed as Mahatma Gandhi and the other as Indira Gandhi. The yatra, in the last two days, has seen many workers turning up in costumes — some dressed up as Gandhi, others like K Kamaraj. For the local Congress, it is no less than a festive atmosphere with Rahul Gandhi in their midst.