Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi is accompanied by party leaders on the march.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders started the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu today. The yatra is being seen as a desperate attempt by the party to rally support for the 2024 general election
Here are 10 facts from this big story:
Before starting the yatra, Mr Gandhi hoisted the national flag at the campsite of the 118 'Bharat Yatris -- Congress leaders who will walk with him on the 3,570 km journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
The yatra was officially launched last evening. Ahead of the launch, Mr Gandhi visited his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's memorial at Sriperumbudur, where he was assassinated in a terrorist attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE).
Last morning, Mr Gandhi shared a photo of him paying respects to his father. "I lost my father to the politics of hate and division. I will not lose my beloved country to it too. Love will conquer hate. Hope will defeat fear. Together, we will overcome," he captioned it.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has described the march as a "landmark occasion" and expressed confidence that the organisation would be "rejuvenated".
The march would cover 12 states and two Union Territories in about five months. The participants plan to walk about 22 km daily in two batches -- 7 am to 10.30 am and 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
The next stop in the yatra is Kerala. The Congress march is scheduled to reach there on September 11. It aims to reach Karnataka on September 30, move across the state over the next three weeks before moving north.
The yatra will stop in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Nilambur in Kerala, Mysuru, Bellary and Raichur in Karnataka, Vikarabad in Telangana, Nanded and Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Kota, Dausa and Alwar in Rajasthan, Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Ambala and Pathankot in Punjab, Jammu, and the final destination Srinagar.
During the yatra, Mr Gandhi and other Congress leaders will stay in containers, some of which have sleeping beds, toilets and air-conditioning.
The 148-day yatra will include padayatras, rallies, and public meetings at various places. Senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are expected to attend these events.
The yatra comes at a time when the Congress is reeling under several high-profile exits, the latest being veteran leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.
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