From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son-in-law Robert joined the 23-km long stretch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Delhi, with Sonia’s first worry was on Rahul Gandhi heading it in a tee-shirt in the shievering cold.
Rahul just smiled and hugged Sonia wearing the face mask, saying he gets warmth from the love of the people that he is distributing in the Yatra that has covered 2,800 km, starting from Kanyakumari on September 7. Sonia got into a car to accompany the march.
This is for the second time that Sonia and Priyanka had joined a part of the Karnataka stretch and Rahul gave a day’s break to Yatra to celebrate Sonia’s 76th birthday in the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan.
Though the Congress adhered the route prescribed by Delhi Police, it deviated slightly to walk to India Gate and then went to the Red Fort where a stage was erected for an address by Rahul and others in the evening before suspending the Yatra for nine days before proceeding to Haryana.
The massive crowd received Rahul throughout the route in Delhi, with the traffic disrupted. The BJP’s attempt to create a scare of Covid-19 spread did not discourage the crowd as not many did not bother to wear masks.
Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS/BJP of spreading fear of Covid-19 spread in the country and said they convert this fear into hatred but the Congress will not allow that to happen. Nothing can prevent the Bharat Jodo Yatra from moving forward, the Congress asserted asking the BJP to “stop playing politics in the garb of the Covid pandemic” and trying to “stall” the march.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal felt upset that it could do nothing to disperse the Yatra since the Centre did not declare the Covid protocols to help it implement.
Rahul started his jorney in Delhi by offering prayers at a temple on the border at Badarpur. He also stopped at Nizamuddin on the way to offer a “chadar” at the Hazrat Nizamuddim Aulia Dargah. Prominent person joining him in the yatra in the national capital was veteran actor Kamal Haasan.
