Omkar Dattatray
The Bharat Jodo Yatra which started from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on 7th September 2022 with great enthusiasm and fanfare by Indian National congress for 150 days has to travel 3500 Km all its way from Kanyakumari and will culminate in Srinagar Kashmir where a mega rally will be arranged. Till date the Bharat Jodo Yatra undertaken by the congress leader and former president of congress has completed 131 days of the Yatra. The main objective of the Yatra is the unification of hearts and minds and to eliminate communal hatred from the country and to awaken the sense of unity and mutual harmony and brotherhood in the country which is ridden with hatred, mistrust and poison which are alien to our age old and grand culture. There was great need for undertaking such a Yatra which will bind the people of various faiths, regions and languages together. The credit for undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra goes squarely to Ghandhi scion and senior leaders of the congress who commenced the Yatra and traversed and travelled in severe cold than too wearing a T-Shirt and there seems some wonder in travelling far and wide in only a T-Shirt and some opine that the Yatra is a Tapasyia of a Tapasavi but this description of Rahul Gandhi is synonymous with sprinkling Chilli in the eyes of the BJP leaders who say that Rahul Gandhi is out on a bail in corruption case. The fact is that there may be necessarily the political motive of the Yatra but the reality cannot be ignored that this Yatra is primarily meant to ensure unity, communal amity, mutual brotherhood and erasing communal hatred and venom from the country. These negatives only lessen the integrity and national unity and give a great setback to much valued secularism and these undesirable things in the country and body politic. The Bharat Jodo Yatra under the dynamic leadership of congress leader Rahul Gandhi has received tremendous response from the people all along the route of Yatra and it has infused communal amity and mutual brotherhood in the country and it aims at the removal of religious hatred and communal venom from the country. The tremendous response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra has given sleepless nights and uneasiness to the BJP which is attacking, opposing and criticizing the BJY of Rahul Gandhi. The Yatra in fact will cement the communal amity, harmony and will remove narrow religious hatred perpetuated by some political parties and the congress is opposed to the politics of hatred and religious politics and hence it has embarked on the Yatra to give a serious jolt and setback to the forces who try to disturb communal harmony and secularism and pluralism which are the very foundation of the largest democracy in the world. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a befitting answer to those political parties who seek votes only on the name of religion, caste and creed. The massive response to the Yatra of Rahul Gandhi is the testimony to the fact that in the country and its politics the popularity, relevance and acceptance of Rahul is increasing with each passing day and in near future he may be able to revive and reform the congress party so that it is in a position to not only be a viable and strong opposition but it will also prepare the congress for being a political alternative along with the help of other opposition parties in 2024 general elections. From day one of the Yatra, BJP has been criticizing the Yatra and hurling choicest abuses on Rahul Gandhi and his Yatra. But this fact cannot be overlooked that the Yatra has been successful in creating a mass base of the congress party in the nook and corner of the country. The BJP and its government tried to force Rahul to discontinue his Yatra on the flimsily issue of COVID-19 but Rahul was undeterred by the BJP’s arm -twisting tactics and he continued his Yatra with great devotion and responsibility to give a fight to the forces of religious hatred and communal politics. Now when the Bharat Jodo Yatra is about to reach Kashmir and hold a mega peace rally, the BJP government is trying to sabotage the Yatra on the issue of the security of Rahul Gandhi in Kashmir and are advising him to undertake the Yatra through vehicles and in proper clothes in the wake of severe cold and snow in Kashmir. But Rahul Gandhi has made it clear and loud that he will undertake his Yatra in T-Shirt and it he and his supporters will travel to Srinagar Kashmir by foot .In Jammu and Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi has invited 22 political parties to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and maximum of the invitees have confirmed their participation and NC, PDP, Apni Party, PC, CPM and others have made it clear that they will be the part of the Yatra in Kashmir and they have already supported the Rahul’s Yatra. The Bharat Jodo Yatra as the name signifies is a sojourn for spreading the message of love, affection, brotherhood, peace, security, tranquility and mutual and communal harmony and therefore the Yatra is expected to receive significant response in Kashmir as well. The laws, regularations and statutes cannot buy peace and it cannot win the hearts and minds of the people but the message of love, affection and peace can heal the wounds of the people in Jammu and Kashmir and therefore the Yatra will definitely receive massive support in Jammu and Kashmir. The Bharat Jodo Yatra of congress is not an ordinary Yatra but is extra-ordinary having great ramification on the secularism, pluralism and communal brotherhood and it will bring doom to the forces of communalism and regionalism. The aim of this Yatra is to unite India and jointly strengthen the country. As already said Yatra has commenced from Kanyakumari and it will pass through 12 states and culminate in Jammu and Kashmir. The Yatra will run in about 3500 Km in 150 days. This Yatra has received unexpected love and support from all sections of the people. Lakhs of people have come together in support of Bharat Jodo Yatra and have joined the movement with congress against economic, political and social as well as divisive forces who are hell bent to destroy secularism and religious unity. This Yatra on a large scale is awakening the people against unemployment, inflation, hatred, divisive politics and our political arrangement of excessive centralization. The people of different sections of the society are coming together to be part of this historical movement. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is the festival of unity, cultural diversity and unbelievable tolerance. The political parties, social activists, intellegentia, writers, artists and known figures and lakhs of common people are participating in the Yatra. The country has fallen deep on the standards in respect of unemployment, price rise, violence against women and discrimination with minorities and the Yatra is trying to force the government to reverse its pro capitalist approach and do justice to the marginalized sections of society. Thus we are trying to listen the voice of farmers, laborers women, children and youth and attracting the attention of the BJP government towards these sections of society. We are going ahead for justice, peace and equality. Bharat Jodo Yatra is the invitation to raise against the governments unfulfilled promises. The simmering discontent with the ruling BJP is seen in the overwhelming response to the Bharat Jodo Yatra as the people belonging to all most all sections of the society seem to be rallying behind Rahul Gandhi and the historical Yatra will go a long way to revive and restore the congress as it was after the freedom of the country and this Yatra will unite people and sink the differences among the people of various faiths. In brief Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is in fact the harbinger of unity, love and peace and it gives hatred a go bye and ensures a society free from hatred and animosity which has been created by divisive forces and parties and the Yatra is addressing these issues the of county.
