HYDERABAD: The feeling of excitement that prevailed in Gudabellur village in Narayanpet district on Sunday appeared to be contagious; it was as if the entire village was affected by the celebrations of Congress activists who welcomed party MP Rahul Gandhi into Telangana as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
For the party workers, it was as if Diwali had come a day earlier, as they jostled with each other and craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the former Congress president. Those who got a chance to walk close to Rahul considered themselves lucky for being able to match strides with him.
Rahul, accompanied by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar, crossed the River Krishna that separates the two States at around 9 am where he was received by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy.
The KPCC president handed over the national flag to his Telangana counterpart in a symbolic gesture reflecting the objective of the walkathon — to unite India. Revanth described the national flag, which he carried on his shoulders, to be the trust of poor, toil of farmers and workers, aspirations of the unemployed, self-respect of weaker sections and the future of the people.
At one point, the ‘Rahul Zindabad’ slogans were overpowered by the drumbeats of Gussadi performers from Adilabad, and many other cultural art forms that were performed to welcome the Wayanad MP, even as firecrackers burst high in the sky.
Pleased by the rousing welcome, Rahul took to Twitter to post: “A river of love is flowing through India, rekindling the hope for progress and prosperity.”
Addressing a corner meeting, he said, “The aim of the Yatra is to unite Hindustan, as the RSS and BJP are spreading hatred. The Yatra is against their ideology and hatred. We want only one India, and employment for everyone.” He added that the two other objectives of the Yatra are to raise the issues of inflation and unemployment.
After walking for about 1 km in Telangana, the Bharat Jodo Yatra was halted for a break of three days for Diwali. Rahul left for Hyderabad in a helicopter, and from there he took a flight to Delhi. The yatra will resume on October 27.
AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore, CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy, TPCC campaign committee president Madhu Yaskhi, MLA D Sridhar Babu along with Karnataka Congress leaders and thousands of party workers were present.