SRINAGAR: On the second day of the last leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, Param vir Chakra awardee Captain Bana Singh and Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut joined the yatra. The Congress on Friday said the J&K Reorganisation Act was passed by parliament on August 5, 2019, in a hurry with brute majority.
Rahul Gandhi resumed the yatra in Kathua district of J&K on Friday despite rain. The Dogri song of the yatra was also released. Due to downpour, Rahul was seen wearing a light jacket over his trade-mark white T-shirt. He was joined by Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Bana Singh, who helped India win the Siachen standoff, and other ex-servicemen.
The yatra was halted after travelling for about 21 kilometers and would resume on Sunday after a one-and-a-half day’s rest. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told reporters that the yatra would culminate in Srinagar on January 30, when Rahul would unfurl the tri-colour at the party office in Srinagar. The Congress president has invited leaders of 23 political parties to attend the Srinagar event, he said.
Asked about party’s stand on demand of Article 370 restoration by NC president Farooq Abdullah, Ramesh said, “The Congress feels that the bill passed in parliament on August 5, 2019 was not done in a democratic way but forcibly through the brute majority without any discussion and without any provision for examination and analysis.” Ramesh said, “We want the democratic process to start in J&K, and statehood should be restored.”
“You talked about Article 370. In our country and in our constitution, there is Article 371 and there are special provisions under Article 371 for states like Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Goa Sikkim, some areas of Assam and some areas of Karnataka-Hyderabad region,” he said.
On BJP charge that the yatra has become Bharat Todo Yatra as Congress leaders are sharing space with Gupkar Alliance leaders, who are preaching separatism, Ramesh said, “Whose party was running government with PDP in J&K? Who framed the common agenda between BJP and PDP? Those who level allegations, they should think about themselves.” He accused Azad of being BJP’s B-team.
Ramesh announced that from January 26 to March 26, there will be “haath se haath jodo abhiyan” by Congress during which party workers would visit every village and every home and do door-to-door canvassing to put across message of the yatra and present copy of chargesheet of Modi government to public.