Team OWN exclusively reporting from Bharat Jodo Yatra. Disclaimer: This report is more of our observation than an opinion. You may have a different experience
- ‘Congress lost Delhi’
- ‘Congress lose in Gujarat’
- ‘Congress lost its permanent constituency Amethi’
These headlines remain common whenever an election wave hits India. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaigned with a slogan – Congress Mukt Bharat. which seems to be a reality soon. The Modi wave was also noticed by the oldest political party and they soon geared up for Bharat Jodo Yatra.
What is Bharat Jodo Yatra?
The congress launched a 3570-kilometre yatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar on September 7th, 2022. The march will cover 12 states and 2 union territories. The slogan for this nationwide march is – Mile Kadam, Jude Vatan (Walk Together, Unite the country). The yatra has passed through the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi and soon enter Uttar Pradesh. During the yatra, Rahul Gandhi held several interactions with locals.
Several senior leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Malik Arjun Kharge, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gahlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel and many other senior congress leaders participated in the yatra. It is deemed the party’s biggest public outreach in years.
With this yatra, congress seeks to flag economic disparities, social polarization, and political centralization.
Bharat Jodo se Juda Himachal (Congress wins in Himachal)
The effect of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was seen in the recent Himachal Pradesh election. Congress managed to score 40 out of 68 seats and crossed the majority mark of 35. However, Gujarat remained with BJP. But the Bharat Jodo Yatra excluded Gujarat and failed to work as an effective opposition. Why?
However, The confident walk of Rahul Gandhi has restored the faith of Janta in Congress to some extent.
Bharat Jodo Reached Delhi
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During the Bharat Jodo march, Gandhi interacted with people while walking. This connected him directly to the audience. As soon as Rahul Gandhi entered the borders of the national capital a huge wave of congress supporters backed his rally. From toddlers to octogenarians, people were raising slogans hailing Congress and Rahul Gandhi.
Team One World News also decided to step out to get a reality check of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Bharat Jodo Yatra crashed by a BJP supporter
We joined the march from Delhi’s Ashram. Starting from the Badarpur border it entered the city from Haryana and culminated at Red Fort. The rally halted for a two-hour break at Ashram in the afternoon. It passed through Nizamuddin, India Gate, ITO, Delhi Gate and Daryaganj.
During the rally, we got the opportunity to interact with people. Soaked in the colours of Tiranga, the march looked like a festive procession. Cultural performances were one of the major attractions of Rahul Yatra.
People who were part of the movement hoped high from Gandhi this time. From providing employment opportunities to curbing inflation, ‘We trust Rahul Beta’, said a Bharat Jodo Yatri. Soon the camera and voice of our reporter attracted a major crowd. A man in his 50s was excited enough to snatch our mike and promote Gandhi and Congress.
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However, we expected some quarrel when a BJP supporter crashed the rally and even dared to speak against Congress. ‘Congress party ko pata hai who road par aane wali hai, isliye aa chuki hai. 70 saalo se kuch nhi kiya isliye road par aaye hai’. ( Congress has done nothing in 70 years, that is why they are on roads now) And the young boy was pushed back with a huge cry, ‘Yeh BJP wala Hai’. ( He is a BJP supporter)
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The location was intruded on by the police, as the situation seemed to get out of hand.
Running for half a kilometre, we met a granny in her 80s. She was part of Yatra without any motive. The lady participated more as a spectator than a supporter. “Hame to yaha bhi pension NHI milta hai, bihar mai bhi nahi milta. hum kis party se kya umeed rakhe( Neither we get any pension in Delhi nor Bihar. We do not have any hopes from any party)”, said the old lady while interacting with One World News.
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The numbers of such spectators were in large numbers. However, Rahul’s fan following cannot be denied. Some youngsters were marching with Gandhi from Telangana. Many kids encroached on the footpaths and roads just to get a glimpse of their Rahul Bhaiya.
If you are a female field reporter…
In hope of getting a byte from Rahul Gandhi, we pounced on the group of journalists who were holding their cameras high to get their best shot. Suddenly, a hand from the crowd touched our reporter or tried to grab her. (Yes, these kinds of rallies work as an opportunity for such molesters and might be a reality for many other female participants. In these crowds, you may or may not identify them but their touch can creep you out any day or time).
Soon Rahul Gandhi marched towards Faridabad, and we were left in the same spot to pick up a man who may have got dehydrated and fainted on the road. (Sorry, our cameras were off, we choose humanity overviews)
