Third day of Kerala leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra commences amidst encouraging turnout

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi walks with a young supporters during party`s `Bharat Jodo Yatra`, in Thiruvananthapuram district. Pic/PTI

The third day of the Kerala leg of Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra which commenced on Tuesday, again saw an encouraging turnout with scores of people lining up on the roadsides despite intermittent rains here, to greet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the padyatris. The Congress leaders, including Gandhi, marched along the streets without an umbrella when it was raining.

In a Facebook post, Gandhi quoted a Hindi verse stating that even though the feet have blisters, the yatra will not stop as they are out to unite the country. The third day of the yatra, which commenced around 7.15 am from Kaniyapuram near Kazhakootam, saw an encouraging turnout of people like the previous two days of the Kerala leg of the foot march, which is set to cover 3,570 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir over a 150-day period. When the yatra reached its first halt point of the day at Attingal here, AICC general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "The padayatra has just reached the morning break point at Mamom near Attingal, where there will be a number of interactions with different groups." The yatra is scheduled to resume at 5 pm and end for the day at Kallambalam junction here in the evening.

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When the yatra ended for the day at Kazhakootam on Monday evening, it had covered 100 kilometres. Addressing a large crowd there, Gandhi had said that elections can be won with hatred, violence and anger, but this cannot solve the socio-economic problems facing the country. Buoyed by the encouraging turnout of people, whose numbers had increased as the march progressed during the day, Gandhi -- who is also the MP from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala -- had attacked the BJP by alleging that the saffron party has proved that hatred can be used politically and to win polls, but cannot generate employment. He also alleged that conversations and the people's voice have been silenced in India as the press was saying what the government wants it to say, and that this situation was due to the pressure exerted on the owners of media organisations by the ruling dispensation. "India's dream is broken, not scattered.

To realise that dream, we are bringing India together. 100 km done. And, we have just begun," Gandhi tweeted at the end of the day's yatra. Ramesh had also tweeted that the Bharat Jodo Yatra has completed exactly 100 km and that it has "rattled, unnerved and disturbed the BJP, whereas the Congress party has already been refreshed 100-fold. Every step we walk renews our resolve!" The 150-day foot march was launched from Kanyakumari in neighbouring Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will cover 12 states and two Union territories. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered Kerala on September 10 evening, will traverse through the state covering 450 kilometres, touching seven districts over a period of 19 days before entering Karnataka on October 1.

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