Rahul Gandhi resumed his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Rudraram on the outskirts of Hyderabad on Thursday, the 57th day of the yatra and the 9th day in Telangana, and was joined by former chief of naval staff Admiral L Ramdas and his wife, Lalita Ramdas. As Gandhi walked towards the Sangareddy town, polling had just started at 298 voting centres in the Munugode Assembly constituency. Gandhi took the morning break at Hanuman Nagar in Sangareddy, where he met several female farmers. Kandakam Mogulamma and Jadala Chandramma, two female farmers who are pioneers in reviving millet cultivation, presented a biodiverse millet bouquet to Gandhi and walked with him. Along with Santhoshi Srilaya, they spoke to him about the importance of biodiverse agriculture in combating the effects of climate change. They called for the inclusion of millets in PDS, ICDS and other government schemes for the welfare of farmers and the poor as well as to address malnutrition. He responded positively and accepted their charter of demands. He resumed the yatra at 4.30pm from Ramalayam. A group of Muslims personalities including advocates, educationists, retired bureaucrats, activists, writers, professionals from different fields and leaders of community organisations also met Gandhi and discussed with him issues being faced by the minority community. Former special chief secretary and retired IAS officer M Shafiquzzaman spoke about issues such as discrimination and the alleged excesses of the Telangana police. He also called for better leaders for the Congress from the Muslim community. Senior high court advocate Qudsia Tabassum raised the misuse of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against Muslims in the state. Dr M Sajid Ali, general secretary of the Association of Minority Education Institutions Telangana, spoke about the government failing to recognise minority educational institutions despite the ruling party’s promises in the Assembly election manifesto. Farook Hussain, state president of the All Minority Employees Welfare Association, said the government jobs promised for minorities by the TRS had not been provided. Gandhi gave a patient hearing to the issues and had a lively interaction with the participants. He agreed that the UAPA and other laws were being abused to target sections of society. He said the Congress would address the issues raised by the community leaders. The interaction was coordinated by Zahid Qadri, a member of a civil society working group set up for engagement with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Gandhi will halt for the night at Sultanpur.
