Bharat Jodo Yatra begins: Top quotes from Rahul Gandhi's speech; schedule for tomorrow - Details inside

Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders will embark on the padayatra on Thursday at 7 am from Vivekananda polytechnic in Kanyakumari.

Pic Credit: Twitter

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began the Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7 in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari. Rahul and other Congress leaders undertook this 3,570 km journey to connect with the common people and as a preparatory step for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Ahead of the Yatra's launch, Rahul Gandhi visited Sriperumbudur and sought the blessings of his father, former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. 

I lost my father to the politics of hate and division. I will not lose my beloved country to it too.

Love will conquer hate. Hope will defeat fear. Together, we will overcome. pic.twitter.com/ODTmwirBHR

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 7, 2022

At the launch event, many Congress leaders such as Ashok Gehlot, P. Chidambaram, and Digvijaya Singh lauded Rahul for his initiative to 'unite' India. 

हिन्द महासागर के तट पर,
संकल्प पथ पर अग्रसर।

श्री @RahulGandhi अभूतपूर्व #BharatJodoYatra का शुभारंभ करने के लिए कन्याकुमारी पहुंचे।

देश की एकता, अखण्डता, संविधान और लोकतंत्र की रक्षा के लिए हम प्रतिबद्ध हैं। pic.twitter.com/XFneicDilU

— Bharat Jodo (@bharatjodo) September 7, 2022

Rahul Gandhi's address at the Kanyakumari rally

During his address, Rahul Gandhi said that he wanted to unite the country which he said has been divided by the RSS and BJP. "I lost my father to the politics of hate and division. I will not lose my beloved country to it too. Love will conquer hate. Hope will defeat fear. Together, we will overcome," said Rahul Gandhi.

Although Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi was not present, she sent a written message which described the padayatra as a 'landmark occasion'. 

Addressing a rally at the launch of the yatra, Rahul Gandhi tore into the BJP, saying, "Today every single institution is under attack by the BJP and the RSS... They think they can frighten the opposition using ED, CBI, and Income Tax. The problem is they do not understand the Indian people."

"Indian people do not get scared. It doesn't matter how many hours of interrogation they do, it does not matter, not a single opposition leader is going to be scared of the BJP."

Gandhi also alleged that the BJP considered the tricolour as their personal property and said the national flag did not come easily as it was earned by the efforts of all Indians belonging to every religion, region, and language.

Tiranga in our hands.
India in our hearts.

And so it begins, the journey of thousands of miles to unite our nation. #BharatJodoYatra #BharatJodoBegins pic.twitter.com/ZSp5SmcBqs — Bharat Jodo (@bharatjodo) September 7, 2022

His attack against the BJP over the national flag came in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign last month to encourage people to hoist or display the national flag in their homes. The campaign was part of the government's 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' initiative.

"The BJP thinks that they can divide this country on religious lines, they can divide this country on languages. This country cannot be divided. This country will always remain united," he said at the rally that was also attended by DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and some civil society members.

The Congress leader said the Congress does not want to crush the voice of the people of India, like the RSS and the BJP do, saying "we want to listen to the wisdom of the people of India."

Explaining the idea behind the yatra, he said, "it is very important that we bring the people of India together and make sure they are united so that India remains strong. And that is the aim of the Bharat Jodo Yatra which is designed to listen to the people of India."

Schedule of the Bharat Jodo Yatra

Rahul Gandhi along with other Congress leaders will embark on the yatra on Thursday at 7 am from Vivekananda polytechnic in Kanyakumari.

The march will move in two batches from 7 am to 10:30 am and from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. While the morning session will include fewer participants, the evening session will see mass mobilization. The participants plan to walk around 22 to 23 km daily.

About 30 percent of 'Bharat Yatris' are women. The average age of Bharat Yatris is 38.

About 50,000 citizens have also registered to participate in the Yatra. To coincide with the launch of the Yatra on Wednesday, 'Prarthana Sabhas' will be held by the Congress' state units at 5 pm, a leader said. At 7 am Thursday, 10 km foot marches will be held at the block level.

After reaching Kerala on September 11, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 18 days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north.

It will pass through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and end in Srinagar.

(With PTI inputs)