NEW DELHI: In yet another bid towards the much-vaunted Opposition unity, the Congress on Wednesday invited leaders of 21 like-minded parties to join the culmination event of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on January 30. In a letter to the chiefs of 21 opposition parties, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that from the beginning of the yatra, the Congress has invited every like-minded party and on the invitation of Rahul Gandhi, MPs of several political parties have joined it at different stages.
“I now invite you to personally join the concluding function of the Bharat Jodo Yatra to be held in Srinagar on January 30 at noon. The function is dedicated to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi, who lost his life on this day in his tireless struggle against the ideology of hatred and violence,” said Kharge in the letter.
The cross-country march which began in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, will culminate in Srinagar on January 30, with Rahul Gandhi hoisting the national flag. So far, the march has traversed through Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, MP, Rajasthan, Delhi, UP, and Haryana covering 3,300 Km. “Every day, yatris walk 20-25 km through the heat, cold, and rain. They have carried the yatra’s message to tens of lakhs of people,” wrote Kharge. Currently, the yatra is traveling through Punjab.
“Today, India faces an economic, social, and political crisis. At this time, when the Opposition’s voice is being suppressed in the Parliament and the media, the Yatra is connecting directly with lakhs of people,” Kharge further said. Although the main Opposition parties SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati did not join the yatra in UP, they extended best wishes to the success of the yatra. Though RLD president Jayant Chaudhary did not take part, he sent party leaders to join the walkathon.
Kharge further sought the participation of like-minded parties to strengthen the message of harmony and peace. “At this event, we will commit ourselves to fight hatred and violence, to spread the message of truth, compassion, and non-violence, and to defend the Constitutional values of liberty, equality, fraternity, and justice for all.