Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma poked fun at the Congress on Tuesday by stating that if the group wanted to launch the “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” it should do it in Pakistan.
CM Sarma asked Congress to start the campaign in Pakistan because he believes India got divided in 1947 when the party was in power asserting that ‘India is connected and united.’
“India was split during the 1947 Congress. Rahul Gandhi should launch the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Pakistan if they wish to. What advantages does taking this Yatra in India offer? India is united and connected. I want to recommend that Rahul Gandhi visit Pakistan with the Bharat Jodo Yatra programme,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi paid a visit to his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur on Wednesday ahead of the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ campaign start from Kanyakumari.
The Congress has referred to the yatra, which will cover over 3,500 kilometres, as the nation’s largest march in the past century.
A rally will commence it at around 5:00 PM today, and the “padyatra,” or march, will start at 5:00 AM on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi will reportedly walk the entire distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. He has previously stated that this yatra is comparable to a “tapasya” for him to bring the country together in opposition to the growing social polarisation and centralization in India.
Notably, Congress stated this month that it will begin a “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on September 7 in which party members and leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, will take part.