New Delhi: The concluding ceremony of Congress’ Bharat Joro Yatra began today. With flag hoisting at the party office in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar amid bad weather. Soon a rally was held in a stadium. Top Kashmiri leaders, Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party, spoke at the event amid heavy snowfall. Speech by Congress leadership including Rahul Gandhi leading the procession.
“I have not done this (journey) for myself or the Congress, but for the people of the country. Our aim is to stand against the ideology that wants to destroy the foundations of this country,” Rahul Gandhi said at the closing rally.
Mr Gandhi challenged the top brass of the BJP to undertake a journey like his in Jammu and Kashmir, saying they would never do it because they were afraid.
“I can guarantee you that no BJP leader can walk like this in Jammu and Kashmir. They won’t do it, because they won’t be allowed, because they are scared,” he said.
As part of the closing ceremony of the Congress Pan-India Padayatra. The Congress organized a mega rally at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium to mark the end of the 135-day Kanyakumari to Kashmir Yatra.
Apart from the entire Congress leadership, more than a dozen leaders of opposition parties will attend the rally.
Low visibility and persistent snowfall delayed all flights to Srinagar, Srinagar airport director Kuldeep Singh Rishi said on Twitter.
Vistara Airlines canceled two flights from Delhi to Srinagar for the day.
21 teams were invited for the event, but some are not attending due to security concerns, sources said. Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and TDP are among the parties to skip the event.
The “padayatra” ended with Rahul Gandhi hoisting the national flag at the Lal Chowk area on Sunday, but the official finale will take place on Monday in Srinagar, where snow is falling. Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Tejashwi Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), Uddhav Thackeray’s. Shiv Sena, CPI(M), CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Kerala Congress, Farooq Abdullah-led Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. Mehbooba Mufti’s Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Shibu Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
The Kanyakumari to Kashmir Yatra started from the southern tip of the country on September 7. And ended in Srinagar on January 30 after covering 3,970 km across 12 states and two Union Territories.
Rahul Gandhi held more than 100 corner meetings and 13 press conferences during the yatra. He designed over 275 walking interactions and over 100 sitting interactions.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will hoist the national flag at the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters. And also unveil a memorial for the Bharat Joro Yatra. Then there will be a rally.
Rahul Gandhi told a press conference on Sunday that the Bharat Joro Yatra went from south to north. But it had a nationwide impact and emphasized that the padayatra gave the country an alternative vision.
