Bharat Jodo Yatra Live Updates: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra will remain suspended for today due to a 'serious' lapse in security in Jammu and Kashmir (Youtube/INC)Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra Highlights, January 27: The Bharat Jodo Yatra has been suspended for the rest of the day on Friday after the Congress alleged a ‘serious’ lapse in security in Jammu and Kashmir. Rahul Gandhi and the yatris participating in the Yatra were denied security cover in Banihal, several party leaders alleged.
In a press conference, Gandhi said he had to cancel his walk for the day because police arrangements unfortunately “completely collapsed”. Police personnel who were supposed to manage the crowd were nowhere to be seen, the former he said. “It’s the Jammu and Kashmir administration’s responsibility to provide security… I hope security will now be ensured for remaining days of the yatra,” Gandhi, who started his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kanyakumari in September and ends it in Srinagar on January 30, said.
Before the alleged breach took place, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah Friday joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Banihal, saying that the Rahul Gandhi-led march is not being carried out for the image makeover of the Congress leader, but rather to change the situation and atmosphere of the country. The Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed from Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday after a day’s break due to Republic Day celebrations. The yatra will enter the Kashmir valley today for its last leg before culminating in a rally in Srinagar on January 30. According to Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, the yatra has passed through various districts of Jammu and covered almost 90 kilometres.
Since I wrote my last column on the Bharat Jodo Yatra in mid-November 2022, when Rahul Gandhi was walking in Maharashtra, he has covered many many more kilometres, covered the northern states where, contrary to what his opponents had predicted, he has drawn a good response. Since his 3560-km-long Bharat Jodo Yatra is scheduled to end January 30 in Srinagar, it’s time to assess its impact.
Rahul Gandhi has shown incredible stamina, a will to complete what he embarked on, instead of running abroad halfway—which he was known for. The Yatra also showed another side of the usually inaccessible Rahul—even his colleagues used to complain about his lack of accessibility—putting an arm around an old woman, embracing the young, hoisting a child on his shoulder and agreeing to take selfies with countless others and, above all, discuss live issues with groups on the way. Rahul, the reluctant politician, had receded. The response to him has made him the unchallenged leader of the Congress again. Neerja Chowdhury writes
The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra was suspended for the day on Friday after the Congress alleged a breach of security and mismanagement of the crowd by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
In a brief statement to the press, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who began his yatra from Banihal in Jammu region, said he had to cancel his walk for the day because police arrangements by the J&K administration “unfortunately collapsed completely”. He said police personnel who were supposed to manage the crowd were nowhere to be seen.
The J&K Police, however, said there was no security lapse while pointing out that the organisers had not informed them about a large crowd joining the march from Banihal. Read more
In what may be interpreted as a setback to a national Opposition bid, the JD(U) has said it will not attend the concluding function of the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on January 30. All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge had invited JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh to attend the function. Read more
After the Congress suspended the Bharat Jodo Yatra for the rest of today alleging a security breach in Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmir Zone police responded and said that organisers of the Yatra did not inform that a large gathering would join the march from the Banihal area.
In a series of tweets, the police said, 'Only authorised persons as identified by organisers & frisked crowd was allowed inside towards the route of Yatra. Organisers & managers of BJY did not intimate about large gathering from Banihal joining the Yatra, which thronged near the starting point'.
The police also said that it was not consulted before taking any decision on discountinuation of the Yatra after marching for one kilometer. 'Rest of yatra continued #peacefully. There was no security lapse at all. We will provide foolproof security,' it said.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, who joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Banihal said that he was witness to the lack of security for Rahul Gandhi, which subsequently lead to the Yatra being called for the rest of the day.
In a tweet, Abdullah said, "I’m witness to this. The outer ring of the cordon which was maintained by J&K police simply vanished within minutes of @RahulGandhi starting to walk. We had just crossed in to Kashmir from Jammu & were looking forward to the 11 KM walk but unfortunately it had to be cancelled".
As Rahul Gandhi enters the Kashmir Valley on the last leg of his 3,570-km Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been at the forefront, welcoming the march, with its workers told to actively participate in it. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti even wrote an article in The Hindu, calling the Congress yatra the “first and genuine outreach to the people of J&K, who have been threatened into silence and submission”. Basharaat Masood writes
After the Bharat Jodo Yatra was suspended for the rest of Friday due to a lapse in security breach, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh tweeted and said that by playing with Rahul Gandhi's security, the government displayed its 'lowest level'.
In a tweet, Ramesh said, "India has already lost Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, any government or administration should desist from doing politics on such matters."
After the Congress decided to suspend the Jammu and Kashmir leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra for Friday, Rahul Gandhi said that it was important that the Police manage the crowd. "It's very difficult for me to go against what my security people are recommending," he said.
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra will remain suspended for the rest of the day on Friday due to a 'serious' lapse in security in Jammu and Kashmir. "I had to cancel my walk today, unfortunately, police arrangement completely collapsed," he said.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra has been suspended for the rest of the day Friday as Congress alleges a lapse in security breach in Jammu and Kashmir’s Banihal.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra's aim is not to "improve" Rahul Gandhi's image but to change the prevailing atmosphere of the country, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Friday as he joined the Congress' Kanyakumari to Kashmir march passing through here. The former chief minister, however, sidestepped questions on the Congress' stand on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, saying he does not want to delve into it.
"We have joined this march not for the image of an individual but for the image of the country," Abdullah said. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi did not start the yatra for personal reasons but due to his concern over the "attempts of creating communal tensions and targeting minorities" in the country. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the yatris participating in the Jammu and Kashmir leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra were denied security cover in Banihal on Friday, several party leaders alleged. “The sudden withdrawal of security personnel from the D-area has caused a serious security breach at the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Banihal, Kashmir. Who ordered this?” tweeted party leader KC Venugopal. “The authorities responsible must answer for this lapse & take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents in future.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the yatris participating in the Jammu and Kashmir leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra were denied security cover in Banihal on Friday, several party leaders alleged. “The sudden withdrawal of security personnel from the D-area has caused a serious security breach at the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Banihal, Kashmir. Who ordered this?” tweeted party leader KC Venugopal. “The authorities responsible must answer for this lapse & take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents in future.
ongress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Jammu and Kashmir's Banihal on Friday en route to the Valley.
Enthusiastic Congress workers and supporters carrying the tricolour turned up in large numbers to receive the Gandhi family scion. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah also joined Gandhi at Banihal. Donning a white T-shirt like Gandhi, Abdullah started walking with the Congress leader, along with hundreds of Congress party supporters.
"The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country," the NC leader told reporters upon his arrival in this highway town of Banihal, 120 km from Srinagar. Abdullah said he joined the yatra as he was more concerned about the image of the country. "We have not joined this for the image of an individual but for the image of the county," he said. Read more.
NC leader Omar Abdullah Friday joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra here, saying that the Rahul Gandhi-led march is not being carried out for the image makeover of the Congress leader, but rather to change the situation and atmosphere of the country.
The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said he does not want to delve into Congress' stand on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country," the National Conference (NC) leader told reporters upon his arrival in this highway town, 120 kilometres from Srinagar. (PTI)
Attacking Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai has said the Congress mass outreach programme lacks motive and vision.
In the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Annamalai said, "Padyatra should have a larger perspective. It is just that you are upset with Modi ji and you started a yatra. It should have a motive."
He said Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra is useless since it lacks a clear vision. The BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi himself had admitted that there is no atmosphere of hatred in the country, indicating that the yatra has no motive.
"Rahul ji in one of the statements in Delhi said he did not see hate after walking this many miles, then why did he start the yatra..," questioned Annamalai. On December 24, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a mega public rally outside Red Fort in the national capital.
Addressing the rally, Rahul Gandhi said, "In Bharat Jodo Yatra, dogs also came but no one harmed them. Cow, buffaloes, pigs, all animals came. All the people came. This Yatra is like our India, I have not seen any hatred or violence among people while walking 2,800 km, and I have not seen violence or hatred anywhere in the country. But when I turn on the TV, there is hatred all the time. 24 hours there is only Hindu-Muslim in media." (PTI)
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief K Annamalai took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is leading Bharat Jodo Yatra, and said the Wayanad MP took 3,000 km to understand that there is no atmosphere of hatred in the country.
Attacking the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the BJP leader said Rahul Gandhi himself had admitted that there is no atmosphere of hatred in the country, indicating that the yatra has no motive.
"Rahul ji in one of the statements in Delhi said he did not see hate after walking this many miles. Then why did he start the yatra? It took him 3,000 kilometres to realise that..," Annamalai said in the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash.
Annamalai said Congress' mass outreach programme is useless since it lacks a clear vision. "Padyatra should have a larger perspective. It is just that you are upset with Modi ji and you started a yatra. It should have a motive," the Tamil Nadu BJP chief said. On December 24, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a mega public rally outside Red Fort in the national capital. (PTI)
The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra has set off for the day from Banihal in Jammu. They will enter the Kashmir valley today.
The Yatra will depart from Banihal at 9 am today, Take a look at the full schedule:
The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to resume from Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday after a day’s break due to Republic Day celebrations. The yatra is set to enter the Kashmir valley today for its last leg before culminating in a rally in Srinagar on January 30. According to Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh, the yatra has passed through various districts of Jammu and covered almost 90 kilometres.