Bharat Jodo Yatra: Actor-director Pooja Bhatt walks 10 km with Rahul in Telangana

Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra on Wednesday, becoming the first noted Bollywood celebrity to do so.

As news agencies reported that she had joined the walk “briefly,” the actor joked on Twitter, “Yes a ‘brief’ 10.5 km walk to be precise.” In videos and pictures shared on Twitter, Bhatt is seen walking next to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, talking to him animatedly, and smiling and waving at people on the way.

Dressed in a black full-sleeve kurta and a printed stole, she joined the march as it resumed from Hyderabad on Wednesday morning and entered its 56th day.

Bhatt, daughter of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, is often vocal about various issues on social media. She has delivered critically-acclaimed performances in films such as Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Sadak, Sir, and Zakhm. Her production and direction ventures include Tammana, Sur, Paap, and Holiday. She was last seen in R Balki’s Chup released in September this year.

Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi

On Wednesday, several Telangana Congress leaders joined the march as well. Among them were Congress MP and Yatra coordinator for Telugu states, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and former MP Madhu Yaskhi Goud.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Hyderabad on Tuesday—the seventh day of its journey through Telangana—to huge cheer from party cadres and supporters. Newly elected Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge joined the march on Tuesday and made a public address in Hyderabad.

Also read: Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rohith Vemula’s mother walks with Rahul, extends solidarity

On Tuesday evening, the march reached the historic Charminar, where Rahul hoisted the national flag and paid tribute to his late father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Congress organised the event to commemorate Rajiv Gandhi’s visit on October 19, 1990, to launch the Sadbhavana Yatra for communal peace and harmony in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The 3,570-km Bharat Jodo Yatra began in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari on September 7. Since then, it has passed through Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, before entering Telangana a week ago. It will pass through Telangana till November 7, with a one-day break on Friday, covering 375 km across 19 Assembly and seven Parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The grand march is supposed to end in Srinagar, covering 12 states in 150 days.

(With agency inputs)