After the completion of Kanniyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Sunday, the Congress’s party’s foot-march is set to culminate in Rahul Gandhi’s address at Sher-i-Kashmir stadium on Monday.
Rahul on Sunday unfurled the national flag Srinagar’s iconic Lal Chowk that marked the completion of Bharat Jodo Yatra. Earlier, he was scheduled to complete the Yatra with flag-hoisting at Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) headquarters in Srinagar.
Rahul will address a rally at the iconic Sher-i-Kashmir stadium on Monday, which has earlier hosted Chief Ministers of J&K and Prime Ministers of India. Speeches at the ground have often set the tone for the discourse on Kashmir.
In 2003, the then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had recited a Kashmiri couplet at Sher-i-Kashmir and offered friendship to Pakistan. His Kashmir policy of “Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat, and Kashmiriyat (Humanity, Democracy, and Kashmiri spirit) and cooperation with the Kashmiri leadership is often seen in stark contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hardline policy currently.
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra
Rahul Gandhi began the Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7 in Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
Starting from Tamil Nadu, marking the southern-most corner of India, Rahul covered the entire lenght of India and walked through 75 districts across 14 states and Union Territories (UTs) to arrive in Srinagar for the completion and culmination of Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The Yatra covered 4,080 km and Rahul addressed 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings, 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interaction.
Besides Rahul, the brass of the Congress party and several prominent personalities like actors and former officials joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Throughout the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul pitched his vision for India against that of Rahstriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Modi government. This was also visible on Sunday when Rahul said the Yatra has given India an alternate vision.
He said, “The Yatra has given an alternative vision. The BJP and RSS have given a vision that is full of hatred and arrogance. Our vision is like nafrat ke bazaar mei muhabat ki dukaan wala. Our vision is of brotherhood, our vision is to give dignity to each other. Clearly India has now before it two alternatives.”
Rahul Gandhi’s legacy invoked in Kashmir
The Congress party and Rahul Gandhi have also invoked his legacy with Kashmir.
Rahul’s flag-hoisting on Sunday at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk was compared with that of his great-grandfather Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Sharing photos of Nehru and Rahul at Lal Chowk, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “Seventy-five years ago, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national flag for the first time at Lal Chowk. Today noon after the completion of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir Rahul Gandhi unfurled the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.”
75 years ago, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national flag for the first time at Lal Chowk. Today noon after the completion of the #BharatJodoYatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir @RahulGandhi unfurled the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. pic.twitter.com/BUaInepg5Y
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 29, 2023
Rahul also invoked his legacy in media interaction on Sunday after completing the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He said walking to Kashmir felt like making a reverse journey.
He said, “When I first entered Jammu, a strange thought came to my mind that my family descended from Jammu and Kashmir and went to Allahabad and, in some strange way, I was making a reverse journey. So I felt in a way I was going home. That was a very powerful feeling I had. I had affection towards people of Jammu and Kashmir and I come here with an open heart and I come here with open arms to help whatever way I can. And I was humbled by the reception we got in Jammu and in Kashmir.”
The Nehru-Gandhi family, to which Rahul belongs, is rooted in Kashmir as his father’s side traces its ancestry to Kashmir. The Nehru family migrated from Kashmir Valley to the plains of Northern India, sometime in the 19th century and the oldest known ancestor is named Raj Kaul. The Nehru-Gandhi family remains among the most powerful and influential in the world as it has given India three prime ministers and has controlled the Congress for much of Independent India’s history. (PTI)