Bharat Jodo Yatra to enter Madhya Pradesh tonight; Priyanka expected to join

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, sporting a by-now trademark salt and pepper beard, is on the last day of the Maharashtra leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which resumed in Buldhana district on Sunday. (November 20). This yatra will then move on to Madhya Pradesh, where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is expected to join the foot march, which commenced from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

Priyanka Gandhi is set to walk alongside her brother, Rahul Gandhi, from November 23-25 in an effort to mobilise public opinion on fundamental issues of life and livelihood, Congress party sources told the media.

This mass contact initiative of the Congress party has entered its 74th day on Sunday. It began at 6 am from Bhendyal in Buldhana district after a night halt at Sairam Agro centre. People lined up all along the route which Rahul took and he interacted with them.

Veteran actor Amol Palekar and his wife, writer-filmmaker Sandhya Gokhale too participated in the walk in Buldhana in Maharashtra. Earlier, Bollywood personalities such as Pooja Bhatt, Riya Sen, Sushant Singh, Mona Ambegaonkar, Rashmi Desai, and Akanksha Puri took part in the yatra.

The yatra’s Maharashtra portion will be wrapped up with a corner meeting at the Jalgaon—Jamod taluka, before Rahul moves on to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh for the night halt.

Also read: ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra with tukde-tukde gang’, Anurag Thakur targets Rahul Gandhi

The yatra had entered Maharashtra on November 7 and had covered Nanded, Hingoli, Washim, Akola and Buldhana districts of the state. Gandhi had also addressed two rallies in Nanded and Shegaon in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra leg was marked by controversies like Rahul’s comments about Veer Savarkar’s letter to the British government surrendering to them. His remarks stirred up a row in the state and embarrassed the party’s ally, Shiv Sena and put them in a tight spot, especially before the civic elections.

Aaditya Thackeray had joined Rahul on his Maharashtra walkathon as well, a day before the Congress leader railed against Savarkar.

Also read: Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul hits first big political storm in Maharashtra