As Congress Begins “Bharat Jodo” Yatra, BJP Calls It “Parivar Jodo Yatra”

Chennai: While Congress’s Rahul Gandhi flagged off the party’s massive mass contact programme, ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, from Kanyakumari this afternoon, eyeing on 2024 general elections, the BJP sarcastically declared that the Congress should focus on “Congress Jodo”.

Dubbed the “longest march” in the country over a Century by the Congress, the Bharat Jodo Yatra was launched with a rally in Kanyakumari. The ‘padyatra’ or foot march will begin on Thursday morning. The 3,500-km foot march will be covered in 150 days.

“India is the institution that protect this flag. India is free media that protects this flag. India is a judiciary that protects this flag. And today every single one of our institutions is under attack by BJP, RSS. They think this flag is their personal property. They think they can determine single-handedly the future of this people, state of this country,” Rahul Gandhi said in his address.

The BJP, RSS think they can “frighten opposition using ED, CBI, Income Tax,” Mr Gandhi said. “It doesn’t matter how many hours of interrogation they do, not a single opposition leader is going to be scared of BJP,” he added.

Meanwhile, pointing to the multiple defections in the recent weeks, the BJP insisted that the Congress should prioritise patching up the party. “I think that instead of doing the Bharat Jodi Yatra, Rahul Gandhi ji should do a ‘Congress Parivar Jodo Yatra’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to connect the country,” the BJP’s Ramdas Athawale was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.