100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra: Controversies, Rahul’s philosophical musings, and a lot of walking

Here is how the yatra has panned out till now:

Tamil Nadu (September 7)

Before kickstarting the march, Rahul Gandhi paid tributes at his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial in Sriperumbudur in the state. He then launched the yatra and took on the BJP on its patriotism pitch — the party had introduced its Har Ghar Tiranga the month before — accusing it and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of treating the Tricolour as their “personal property, and arguing that the national flag does not belong to any particular religion. “It is not enough to just salute the flag, it is important to defend the ideas and values behind the flag,” he said.

Gandhi received the national flag from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam in Kanyakumari. Stalin tweeted: “Today, my brother @RahulGandhi has begun a journey to retrieve India’s soul, to uphold the lofty ideals of our republic and to unite our country’s people with love.”

Kerala (September 10)

The Kerala leg of the Yatra made news throughout the 18 days it was in the coastal state, with the BJP and the CPI(M) launching attacks. From criticism of the yatra route to hitting out at the use of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar’s photo in a banner, the foot march consistently drew the ire of the Congress’s rivals.

But for the party, which is now in the Opposition in Kerala for the second straight term, the yatra helped put aside the factionalism in the state unit, rev up its organisational machinery, and mobilise workers in large numbers.

Karnataka (September 30)

Much was at stake as the Yatra entered Karnataka. The party is in a position to return to power in next year’s Assembly elections in the state, but the party is also fractured and threatened by factionalism. Leading up to the yatra, there were reports of a divide between former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar who are both said to be nursing chief ministerial ambitions.

The leaders did put up a united front, at least on the face of it. Former party president Sonia Gandhi joined the yatra in Mysuru. Family members of Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh who was killed in 2017 walked along with Rahul.

Rahul Gandhi and 39 other Congress delegates voted for the Congress presidential polls on October 17 during this leg of the yatra.

Andhra Pradesh (October 20)

Between October 18 and October 21, the yatra traversed through Andhra Pradesh, which shares its border with Karnataka.

The state had once been its stronghold under Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly known as YSR. But 2009 was the last time the party either won an MLA or MP election in the state. For eight years now, the Congress has been waiting for some good news in Andhra Pradesh. The sentiment from the yatra’s run here was that notwithstanding the good crowds drawn by the Yatra, the Congress has a lot of ground to cover in the state that is now run by YSR’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Telangana (October 23)

In Telangana for 13 days, the Yatra passed through 19 Assembly segments and seven parliamentary constituencies, including Hyderabad. Party leaders also hoped its chances in the high-stakes Munugode by-election would be bolstered with Rahul being in the state. The party, however, lost the election.

Maharashtra (November 5)

Proceeding to Maharashtra next, where the Yatris covered five districts and 280 km in 14 days, Rahul Gandhi drew backlash from the BJP and the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena when he attacked Savarkar. Congress ally Uddhav Thackeray also publicly disagreed with Gandhi’s remarks.

During this leg, Rahul also criticised the RSS for using the term “vanvasis (forest residents)” for “Adivasis (indigenous people)”.

Another image from the Yatra that triggered a row was that of social activist Medha Patkar walking along with Rahul. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders turned it into a poll issue during the campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections, claiming Patkar was a major figure who was against the Sardar Sarovar Dam project and by extension “anti-development”.

Madhya Pradesh (November 20)

After Maharashtra, Rahul took a two-day break to campaign in Gujarat that went to polls on December 1 and 5. He then proceeded to Madhya Pradesh, the first Hindi heartland state where the Yatra entered. Rahul also offered prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and attacked the BJP government saying that it disrespects those who toil hard such as workers, farmers and small businessmen — the real “tapasvis” akin to Hindu gods Shiva, Rama, and Krishna.

During a part of the Yatra in this leg, Rahul was joined by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, brother-in-law Robert Vadra and nephew Raihan.

At a press conference, Rahul turned philosophical and said “he had let go of Rahul Gandhi many years ago”. When asked about his learnings from the Yatra at a press conference, he said, “Rahul Gandhi ko maine bohot saalon pehle chhod diya. Rahul Gandhi aapke dimag main hai, mere dimag main hai hi nahin. (I let go of Rahul Gandhi years ago. Rahul Gandhi is in your mind, not mine). Try and understand, this is our country’s philosophy.”

Rajasthan (December 4)

As the Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Rajasthan, the big question on everyone’s mind was: Will the truce between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, who have been at loggerheads for the past three years, hold? The two had appeared in public ahead of the Yatra’s entry into the state, claiming the party was united.

The news of the loss in the Gujarat Assembly polls and victory in the Himachal Pradesh elections came during this leg.

The yatra will head to Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab next.