Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra Highlights: In Panipat, Rahul Gandhi targets BJP over Agnipath scheme, claims youth were threatened against protesting

"In the 21st century, Haryana is the champion in unemployment, you have left everyone behind," Rahul Gandhi said when someone in the crowd said the state has an unemployment rate of 38 per cent.

By: Express Web Desk
Lucknow, New Delhi | Updated: January 7, 2023 09:19 AM IST
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bharat jodo yatra rahul gandhi panipat latest news todayRahul Gandhi on stage with other Congress leaders at the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Panipat on Friday. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra Live Highlights (January 6, 2023): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its policies, including the Agnipath recruitment scheme. He also said that BJP calls him ‘anti-Army whenver he questions the scheme. He also made note of Haryana topping the CMIE unemployment data recently. “In the 21st century, Haryana is the champion in unemployment, you have left everyone behind,” Gandhi said when someone in the crowd said the state has an unemployment rate of 38 per cent.

The Haryana leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed from the Sanoli Panipat Road Friday morning after Rahul Gandhi returned from Delhi after meeting his mother Sonia, who had fallen ill.  The Yatra had entered Haryana’s Panipat district on Thursday evening from Uttar Pradesh. According to the schedule, the march will pass though the GT Road and Babarpur of Panipat district today following which Rahul Gandhi is likely to address a public rally at the Huda ground in Sector 13 of Panipat.

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Adequate security arrangements have been made in Haryana in view of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said. “We have sought route and stoppage information from them (Congress) and asked the authorities to provide full security,” Vij added. The Yatra, which covered over 130 km in the first phase in Haryana from December 21-23 when it passed through Nuh, Gurugram, and Faridabad districts, will enter Punjab from the state on January 10.  Over the next few days in Haryana, it will also pass through Karnal, Kurukshetra, and Ambala districts.

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19:58 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Political Pulse | Rahul Yatra begins its second Haryana stretch, to good crowds, and talk of ‘badlaav’

With its top leadership coming together to lend a shoulder, the Bharat Jodo Yatra drew enthusiastic crowds on its second stretch in Haryana that began on Friday — despite the cold. The Yatra will spend five days in the state, before entering Punjab.

The Congress, which has high hopes from Haryana, the state where it stopped the BJP short of a simple majority in 2019, would have been happy at the frequent talk of “badlaav (change)” along the route – an 18-20 km stretch from Sanoli Khurd village (on the Uttar Pradesh border) till Sanjay Chowk in Panipat on the Karnal-Delhi national highway.

The turnout would also thrill the heart of Congress Legislature Party leader Bhupinder Hooda, the main organiser of the show, along with his aide and PCC president Udai Bhan, and son and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda. The crowds will give the veteran another edge over his bitter rivals in the state party. The posters accommodated some of them, including former PCC president Kumari Selja and ex-Cabinet minister Randeep Surjewala.

The morning stretch of the Yatra largely covered the old Panipat town market, with its numerous juice, hardware, chemist, grocery, clothing etc stores, which remained shut for the duration of the march.

Varinder Bhatia reports

17:26 (IST)06 Jan 2023
In pics | Bharat Jodo Yatra at Panipat, Haryana

(Express photos by Kamleshwar Singh)

15:39 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Wanted to bring Nyay Yojana in 2019: Rahul Gandhi at Panipat

"We wanted to bring a Nyay Yojana in 2019; 72k rupees in bank accounts of all the poor and farmers; if our govt will come, we shall bring this Yojana," Rahul Gandhi said at the Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Panipat on Friday.

"You all have friends, relatives, - sometimes differences take place; you all should go and talk to them and say you don’t want to fight with them anymore, end your fights and love each other. Jai Hind," he said.

15:35 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Rahul Gandhi at Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Panipat: All policies of BJP created fear and hatred

"All their policies including demonetisation and GST spread fear and then converted into hatred. Bharat Jodo Yatra is showing other direction to the people. All Indians are walking in this Yatra. People from all languages, caste, colour are walking here. People are helping each other. Common people are serving us food, water- this is the India that we want," Rahul Gandhi said at the Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Panipat today.

"I tell them aapke nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan khol raha hoon (I tell them that I am opening a shop of love in their market of hate)," he said.

"A few days ago a man walked to me and told me that he was not in talking terms with his brother. He told me that after our Yatra, he called his brother and told him that he doesn’t want to fight anymore and both the brothers got united again. This is happening in this entire Yatra. Many such incidents are coming to light."

Gandhi also mocked the state of media in the country.

"First aim of this Yatra is to unite people of this country, second is against this increasing unemployment and third against this inflation," he said.

"And the last thing - over 50-60% of wealth is with 200-300 people while there is nothing in farmers hands. Unitedly this nation can face any difficulty, can face any country."

15:28 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Rahul Gandhi at Panipat: Youth aspiring for the Army is telling me that their future has been ruined

'When I raise these issues (related to the Agniveer recruitment scheme), they (BJP) say that I’m talking against defence forces. I’m the one who is protecting our defence forces, I’m respecting our army,' Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at the Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Panipat on Friday.

'When the youth said they don’t like this Agniveer, the government told them that if your faces are captured on camera, you won’t get any govt job. They were threatened not to come out.

'I have walked 3000 kms, all such youth are meeting me. They are telling me that their future has been ruined.

'Haryana gives 10% to army, each and every young person of Haryana knows what it means.

'For farmers, the Agniveer policy was the three black farm legislations. All the farmers got together and stood against it. What did Narendra Modi say? Mujhse galti ho gayi (I made a mistake).

'It took you one year to realise your mistake. Farmers were named as terrorists. 700 lost their lives,' Gandhi said.

'BJP questions this Yatra, why am I doing it? I’ll tell you why am I doing it - because they have spread fear and hatred across this country,' he said.

15:23 (IST)06 Jan 2023
'Demonetisation and GST are not policies, they are weapons of destruction': Rahul Gandhi

"Demonetisation and GST are not policies, they are weapons to destroy small and medium industries. It didn’t only happen in Panipat, it all happened in entire country," Rahul Gandhi said at the Bharat Jodo Yatra rally of Panipat today. "It broke the back of MSME."

"In 21st century, Haryana is champion of unemployment. 38% unemployment rate. Haryana’s youth is getting wasted."

At this point, the crowd shouts it has been 3.5 years, not even a single recruitment took place.

Rahul Gandhi then responded, "Let's talk about Agniveer".

"BJP says they are patriots. In India lakhs of youth wake up in the morning. People are complaining, asking me to begin it late, I say No, BJY will begin at 6 am only. People who prepare for Army, they begin their PT at 4 am. They can be seen beginning their day with the morning run at 4 am everywhere in the country. you stop them and ask what are they doing? They don’t say they are preparing for Army, they say they are preparing to save the nation, to save our national flag."

"Earlier approx 80,000 annually used to be recruited. They used to leave their families and stand on the border to save this nation. 
They used to always be ready to give their blood for this nation. What did Army use to tell them earlier? They were told in the first place that a day may come when you will have to fight, to give their life for the nation but Army used to say that we shall give you the best training for Army, Air Force, Navy."

"Because we love you, we shall never send you on the border without training," he added.

"Second promise - we shall give you 15 years service. If you get even slight injury even on your finger tip, we shall take care of you.

"Third promise - you have given your entire life for this nation, you gave away your children, your families, your parents to protect this national flag; we shall give you pension. And when you will go back to your villages, we shall send you with a tag of ex-servicemen so that whenever anybody looks at you should say that whatever this person did for this nation, nobody else did that. That’s why I should respect this ex-servicemen.

"These three promises, people of India and govt used to be given to all the army air force and navy personnel," Rahul Gandhi said. "Agniveer has broken all these three promises."

"In Agniveer, govt says we won’t take 80k, we shall only take 40k; we won’t give pensions, forget about it. After four years, we shall throw away 75% and only retain 25%. You all go and get unemployed. The training that we used to prepare a soldier, the 10-15 ye are training to fire a missile or to use a weapon- forget about that training, only six months of training is enough—- so these three promises have been broken by BJP and Natendea Modi ji."

15:16 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Rahul Gandhi at Panipat: Two Indias have been created; one for the poor, one for the rich

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses party workers as 'pyaare karyakarta' and 'Babbar Sher aur Sherniyan' in the Panipat rally of Bharat Jodo Yatra.

'It has been 112 days this BJY started from Kanyakumari and has reached at this historical place of Panipat. We have begun walking here, today. You all have a grand welcome and I thank you all for thousands of you who walked with us,' he said.

'I have a question before I begin,' Gandhi said. 

'What’s the population of India? How many people live here? 140 crore. Tell me one thing, how many people are sitting on this stage? About a 100? 
Now I want to tell you about this country’s economic condition 
Country’s population- 140 crore, 
People on stage - 100
Now listen to this - in today’s India, jitna dhan aadhe Hindustan ke paas hai utna dhan Hindustan ke 100 ameer logon ke haath mein hai (the wealth that half of India has, the same amount the 100 richest people have).'

'Kya ye aapko sahi lagta hai, Kya isme Aapko nyay dikhai deta hai? (Do you all see this as right, do you see justice in this?)', Gandhi asked.

'If you look at India’s all corporates profit, 90% profit is only with 20 corporates and this country’s half the wealth is only in 100 people’s hands.This is the truth of Narendra Modi’s India.'

'Two India have been created - in one India where poor and common people live and another India in which 200-300 people who have all the wealth live,' Gandhi said.

'You people have nothing. You only have this air of Panipat in which you can’t breathe... it's cancer,' he added.

'What used to be earlier? This Panipat used to be a centre of small and medium industries. Thousands of small business used to happen here. Lakhs of people used to get jobs. Then Narendra Modi ji did demonetisation, implemented GST and what happened during Covid you all know that.'

15:10 (IST)06 Jan 2023
'We are the ones who saved this country, they never fought for this country': Mallikarjun Kharge

"We are the ones who saved this country, they never fought for this country," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said at the Panipat Bharat Jodo Yatra rally today.

"When PM gets out, there is a convoy of 100 vehicles; when HM gets out, a convoy of 50 vehicles follow him," he added. "When we had to move out, we don’t even get clearance at the airport."

15:08 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Mallikarjun Kharge at Panipat's Bharat Jodo Yatra:

At the Panipat Bharat Jodo Yatra rally, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge thanked the Congress party leaders who organised it.


"We have studied in history that Panipat has seen many battles. Victory and Losses have been witnessed," he said.


"Rahul Gandhi has been carrying on with Bharat Jodo Yatra that shall end in Kashmir. Everybody has got surprised looking at him (RG)
We had been watching him in Delhi, but this RG has come out different. Be it winters, summers, rainfall, he had been walking. Our Bharat Jodo yatris have also been walking with him."

"All this is happening only for the people of this country to get relief from their pain. Inflation has reached at such heights that government is not doing anything to bring it down, because they (govt) stays with big people. Rahul is fighting against this inflation."

"Second battle is against unemployment. In the last 45 years, such high unemployment rate has never been seen, he (RG) is fighting against this unemployment. So many highly educated youth are lying on the road, nobody is worried about such youth, not Modi ji, not Shah ji, they ain’t worried about such youth."


"Their only aim and focus is to get elections after elections conducted, threatening people and breaking people by using ED, IT.
Under RG our government was formed in six seven states, but they (BJP) broke those governments, by using ED, IT and other agencies"

"They talk of democracy but democratically break governments. They talk of Bhagwan, but don’t hesitate of lying. No pm or any hm have spoken such lies - Jhothon ke Sardar hain yeh. Shah ki has said ram Mandir ban raha hai, it will be inaugurated on Jan 1, who are you to announce it? Are you mandir’s pujari? Are you mandir’s mahant? Let them say it, you are a politician."


"They told farmers, your income will be doubled, MSP shall be increased. Did anything like that happen? No. Then they say these are election jumlas"

"I’ll only say - Mukh mein ram, bagal mein churi. They are roaming around with knives. They are dividing people. That’s why to unite people, RG is doing this BJY, it is for your welfare, farmers, youth, Dalits, people of this country and not for any votes. 

"I’ll say one thing - tha tujhe garoor apne lambe hone ka eh sadak, Rahul ke honslon ne tujhe paidal hi naap diya, chal ke hi naap diya. Toh kanyakumari se kashmir tak Voh Chalte jaa rahe hain."

13:46 (IST)06 Jan 2023
In Pics | Rahul-led Bharat Jodo Yatra passes through Panipat

(Express Photos)

12:05 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Holberg prize winner Prof. Sheila Sen Jasanoff joins Bharat Jodo Yatra
10:47 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Rahul Yatra: As BKU’s Naresh Tikait now hails the ‘thought revolution’, Jairam calls march sanjivani for Congress

The Bharat Jodo Yatra completed its three-day stretch through Uttar Pradesh and entered Haryana in the evening on January 5, with Rahul Gandhi continuing his march on foot surrounded by a huge crowd, starting around 6 am from Aelam village in Shamli district amid heavy fog. Addressing the press later in the day, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the yatra has become a “sanjivani” for the Congress party in the state, giving it a “new life”.

The yatra initially did not elicit the expected response from the state’s Opposition parties. But slowly, UP’s regional partiess tarted warming up to it, as it wound through western districts of the state. While Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leaders welcomed the yatra at different points in Shamli with their party flags, Bhartiya Kisan Union chief Naresh Tikait wrote a letter in support of Rahul Gandhi, congratulating him for the yatra’s success and saying that the 100 days of the yatra has brought “vaicharik kranti (a revolution in thinking)”. He also called the yatra “inspirational”.

Read More

09:40 (IST)06 Jan 2023
Yatra resumes from Sanoli as Rahul returns from Delhi

The Haryana leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed from the Sanoli Panipat Road Friday morning after Rahul Gandhi returned from Delhi after meeting his mother Sonia, who had fallen ill.

20:37 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Modi could become PM because Congress nurtured democracy for 70 yrs: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday flagged off a more than 1,000 km long march, on the lines of Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Banka district of Bihar.

The march, which would cover a major part of the state, was launched close to the "Mandar" hills, about 250 km from the state capital, which finds a mention in Hindu mythology.

Kharge, who was visiting Bihar for the first time after getting elected to the top post of his party, slammed the BJP government at the Centre for "failure to provide employment to the youth" and diverting public attention with "communally charged rhetoric". (PTI)

19:10 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Haryana for second phase; Rahul leaves for Delhi as Sonia falls ill

The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Haryana’s Panipat district on Thursday evening from Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi, who leads the Yatra and was supposed to spend the night in the border village of Sanoli Khurd, however, rushed to New Delhi after his mother Sonia Gandhi fell ill.

“The Yatra entered Haryana just a while ago. But Rahul-ji had to go back to Delhi for tonight as Sonia-ji has fallen ill. He will not be spending tonight in Haryana, but will begin the Yatra at 6 am tomorrow (Friday) and also address the rally in Panipat tomorrow afternoon,” Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda told The Indian Express. Read more

19:10 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Haryana for second phase; Rahul leaves for Delhi as Sonia falls ill

The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Haryana’s Panipat district on Thursday evening from Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi, who leads the Yatra and was supposed to spend the night in the border village of Sanoli Khurd, however, rushed to New Delhi after his mother Sonia Gandhi fell ill.

“The Yatra entered Haryana just a while ago. But Rahul-ji had to go back to Delhi for tonight as Sonia-ji has fallen ill. He will not be spending tonight in Haryana, but will begin the Yatra at 6am tomorrow (Friday) and also address the rally in Panipat tomorrow afternoon,” Congress Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda told The Indian Express.

17:30 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Mallikarjun Kharge launches padyatra in Bihar, addresses rally

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday launched a padyatra in Bihar.

The state-wide 1,200-km-long foot march, beginning in Banka, will cover 17 districts, before concluding in Gaya.

16:22 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Bharat Jodo Yatra not an event but movement: Jairam Ramesh

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a medium to fight the "divisive" ideology of the BJP and the RSS, Congress general secretary in-charge of communication Jairam Ramesh told news agency PTI on Thursday.

The Yatra is not an event but a movement that will continue, he added. Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he alleged that the country is facing three major challenges -- social inequalities, polarisation and political dictatorship. These have been caused by the "intention and policies of our prime minister", the PTI quoted Ramesh as saying.

The Rahul Gandhi-led yatra, which was joined by several people Thursday as it traversed through Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh, will end its journey in the state and enter Haryana for a second time. 

16:13 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Rahul Gandhi's look-alike joins Bharat Jodo Yatra

Faisal Chaudhary, a Congress worker in Meerut, who's a look-alike of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, joined 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' on Wednesday evening in Baghpat.

16:09 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Yatra participants plant sapling at Ailum in remembrance of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru

In remembrance of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru who visted Ailum, Shamli in 1936, Bharat Jodo Yatra participants on Thursday planted a sapling in Ailum.

Sharing a video, the Congress said that soil from different regions and water from nearby rivers were brought together to plant the sapling.

16:00 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Evening leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Unchgaon in Uttar Pradesh

The evening leg of senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra has resumed from Unchgaon in Uttar Pradesh after a short break.

13:29 (IST)05 Jan 2023
RLD joins Bharat Jodo Yatra, steps away from Opposition, ally SP ranks on march

After the National Conference, whose supremo Farooq Abdullah joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Wednesday became the second Opposition party to join Rahul Gandhi’s march.

Other non-BJP parties in Uttar Pradesh to whom the Congress had reached out had welcomed Rahul’s initiative but decided to stay away, including RLD ally Samajwadi Party. Read More

11:48 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Two Ram temple trustees back Rahul yatra, Yogi questions its intent

A day after Ram temple chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das “blessed” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, more voices from Ayodhya – from VHP’s Champat Rai to the Hanuman Garhi mahant to Ram temple trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri – backed “the cause of uniting the country” with Rai pointing out that none, be it the RSS or the Prime Minister, has criticised the Yatra.

In Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, responding to a query on the Yatra making its way through UP, said everyone has the freedom to conduct programmes and “we have to respect the feelings of people”. Read More

10:47 (IST)05 Jan 2023
In Pics | Braving fog, Rahul walks through UP towards Haryana
09:52 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Kharge to launch Congress padayatra in Bihar today

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will visit Bihar today and will launch a state-wide padayatra of the party from the Banka district. 




09:02 (IST)05 Jan 2023
From Anaj Mandis to villages, rally to night halts: Rahul Yatra eyes farmer outreach in Haryana

From stopping for lunch and holding a public rally to making a night halt in Anaj Mandis (grain markets) and villages. The second leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Haryana will see him traverse farm belts, which the Congress hopes will strike a chord with the farmers in the state.

Since coming out in support of the farmers’ year-long agitation against the now-repealed three controversial central agriculture laws during 2020-21, the Haryana Congress has been seeking to champion the farmers’ cause aggressively. During the recently-concluded winter session of the Haryana Assembly, the Leader of Opposition from the Congress, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, strongly raised various issues relating to farmers in the House.

On December 28, the last day of the winter session, the Congress legislators, led by Hooda, staged a walkout from the House over their demand for an increase in sugarcane prices for farmers even as Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Lal Khattar formed a panel on fixing prices. Currently, the farmers in Haryana are getting Rs 362 per quintal for sugarcane, while it is Rs 380 for their Punjab counterparts.

Varinder Bhatia writes

08:31 (IST)05 Jan 2023
Watch | Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes from Ailum

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed early Thursday morning from Ailum village in Uttar Pradesh. 

Ghaziabad: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', in Ghaziabad, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. The Bharat Jodo Yatra resumed in Delhi on Tuesday after a nine-day break for Christmas and New Year. (PTI Photo)

Two Ram temple trustees back Rahul yatra, Yogi questions its intent

A day after Ram temple chief priest Acharya Satyendra Das “blessed” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, more voices from Ayodhya – from VHP’s Champat Rai to the Hanuman Garhi mahant to Ram temple trust treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri – backed “the cause of uniting the country” with Rai pointing out that none, be it the RSS or the Prime Minister, has criticised the Yatra.

In Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, responding to a query on the Yatra making its way through UP, said everyone has the freedom to conduct programmes and “we have to respect the feelings of people”.

“The question is what is their intention and ambition. If you are talking of connecting, then it should reflect through work and statements. For the BJP, as the Prime Minister says, the nation comes first and we keep the country above the party. But for many people, the party is above the country. If you look at the incident of Tawang and some other issues, the kind of statements that were made, I think the statements were not to connect the country but to increase the divide and to encourage the enemies. We should avoid doing that,” he said.

RLD joins Bharat Jodo Yatra, steps away from Opposition, ally SP ranks on march

After the National Conference, whose supremo Farooq Abdullah joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) on Wednesday became the second Opposition party to join Rahul Gandhi’s march.

Other non-BJP parties in Uttar Pradesh to whom the Congress had reached out had welcomed Rahul’s initiative but decided to stay away, including RLD ally Samajwadi Party.

On Wednesday, the RLD top leadership welcomed the Congress leader as his Yatra entered Baghpat, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary’s home district. They will also be present during the Yatra’s Shamli stretch on Thursday, after which the march will cross over into Haryana.

Over its three days in the state, the Rahul Yatra is confined to west UP, which is the RLD’s stronghold.

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