DNA Explainer | 3,570 kms in 150 days: Everything about Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir

The Congress on Tuesday announced that the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ -- its ambitious mass-outreach programme -- would begin on September 7 and will cover 3,570 km from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north over a period of about five months. 

The arduous padyatra (foot march), covering 12 states and two Union Territories, is the longest such campaign in Raul Gandhi’s nearly two-decade political career and the biggest mass-outreach programme undertaken by his party in decades. The yatra is scheduled to be completed in 150 days. 

Urging everyone to participate in the yatra, the Congress last week stated that the rally is meant to provide an alternative to the ‘”politics of fear, bigotry and prejudice” and to the economics of livelihood destruction, increasing unemployment and growing inequalities.

Logo, website of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' launched

The Congress on Tuesday unveiled the logo, tagline, pamphlet and website for the yatra. The tagline or slogan for the nationwide foot march is “mile kadam, jude vatan” (walk together, unite the country).

The leaders also launched the website -- www.bharatjodoyatra.in -- and urged those wanting to participate in the yatra to register on it.

"Ek tera kadam, ek mera kadam, mil jaye to jud jaye apna watan (one step yours, one step mine, together they can unite India)," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet and also put the logo of the yatra as his Twitter profile picture.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also tweeted the tagline of the yatra and put the logo as her Twitter profile picture. Several Congress social media handles changed their profile picture to display the logo.

Schedule of Bharat Jodo Yatra

The yatra will begin from the Sriperumbudur memorial near Chennai, the site of the assassination of his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and culminate in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The yatra will go on for four days till September 10 in Tamil Nadu and then continue from neighbouring Kerala. 

Congress’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ will be covering a total distance of 511 kilometres across 21 days in Karnataka, the party’s state president D K Shivakumar said on Monday.

“Of the 511 km in our state, there are some places covering forest areas. The yatra in those regions will be decided by AICC after discussing with local authorities and police. The yatra will be for 21 days in the state covering eight districts and all our leaders and workers will participate,” Shivakumar said. 

Three main reasons of yatra

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi has identified three main reasons of the Bharat Jodo Yatra -- economic, social and political.

He said the yatra was needed as there were grave economic challenges confronting the country on account of inflation, unemployment and concentration of economic wealth and growing regional disparities. He also pointed to social polarisation based on caste, religion, dress, food and language.

Ramesh alleged there were political challenges on account of the growing use of the Centre's institutions and the complete weakening of the states.

Rahul Gandhi invites civil society for participation

Rahul held a meeting with civil society members at a conclave on Monday where the plans for the party’s upcoming “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from Kanyakumari to Kashmir were shared and deliberated upon.

The ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra Conclave’ was attended by over 150 civil society organisations, professionals and Unions with the likes of Aruna Roy, Syeda Hameed, Sharad Behar, P V Rajgopal, Bezwada Wilson, Devanoora Mahadeva, GN Devy and Yogendra Yadav, participating in it.

Several prominent civil society members and political leaders, including Yogendra Yadav, Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh, were present during the meeting held at the Constitution Club in Delhi.