The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, which will begin its Punjab leg next month, will be in the state for eight to nine days before entering Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress' state unit said on Saturday. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also told reporters here that he has discussed the preparations for the yatra with party leaders and workers.
The dates for the Punjab leg of the Kanyakumari to Kashmir march are being finalised, according to party sources. The yatra, which was launched on September 7 in Kanyakumari and completed 100 days on Friday, has traversed eight states Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Warring said the yatra is not only of the Congress party, but was meant for all those who love the country's Constitution and those who stood against "polarisation and British policy of divide and rule".
"It is a yatra for those youths who are unemployed, against inflation and price rise of essential commodities, and for the brotherhood and amity of all communities, including Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Christians," he said. "It will be in Punjab for eight to nine days, and from the Shambhu border, it will pass through different cities, including Phagwara, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Madhopur, before entering Jammu and Kashmir. Since it will be its concluding part, the people of Punjab should take part in it in large numbers," the Congress leader said. With over 2,800 kilometres under his belt, Gandhi has managed to catch the attention of his supporters as well as detractors through the yatra.
Controversies have also been part and parcel of the yatra, with the Congress and the BJP trading barbs on several occasions. The yatra will enter Delhi on December 24, and after a break of about eight days, move on to Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and finally, Jammu and Kashmir. Attacking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, Warring alleged that the law and order situation in the state is worrisome and asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take action.
"Sadly, youths are easily affected by gun culture and gangsterism. The chief minister should rein in these elements. Hostile forces from inside and outside the country are involved in vitiating state's atmosphere," he said. Maintaining law and order is the need of the hour, Warring said and asked as to why the government was not using bulldozers for dismantling houses of gangsters for bridling them.
