One year of Bharat Jodo Yatra: A look back at Rahul Gandhi-led foot march

During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street corner meetings and 13 press conferences

On the first anniversary of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the yatra will continue till hatred is eradicated and India is united.

Sharing a video of moments from the 136-day foot march, Gandhi, in a message in Hindi, tweeted, "The crores of steps of Bharat Jodo Yatra towards unity and love have become the foundation of a better tomorrow for the country. The journey continues – till hatred is eradicated, till India unites. This is my promise!"

The yatra saw the Congress leader walk over 4,000 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, from September 7, 2022 to January 30, 2023.

Gandhi, dressed in a white T-shirt throughout the yatra, met people from all walks of life and attended 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings and 13 press conferences. The march also saw participation from several Opposition leaders such as National Conference's Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, People's Democratic Party (PDP)'s Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sanjay Raut and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)'s Supriya Sule.

Here's a look at key moments of Bharat Jodo Yatra.

From Rahul Gandhi's shirt to his beard

The verbal feud between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress started during the Bharat Jodo Yatra's leg in Tamil Nadu, with the BJP attacking Gandhi for wearing a Burberry T-shirt allegedly worth Rs 41,000. The Congress hit back with an attack aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his alleged "Rs 10 lakh suit" and "Rs 1.5 lakh glasses".

Another war of words broke out over the BJP "exposing" Rahul Gandhi for lying after he was spotted wearing a thermal. The Congress reacted just as sharply, with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi saying that the former Rahul does not feel cold in winter because "he is wearing the shield of truth."

Another controversy erupted after BJP's Bihar unit president Samrat Choudhary compared Rahul Gandhi with slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, stating that one cannot become Prime Minister of a country just by growing a beard.

Addressing a public rally in Bihar's Araria district, the BJP leader said, "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi grows a beard like Osama bin Laden and thinks that he will become like Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Choudhary's remarks came months after former Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi, during his Bharata Jodo Yatra, sported a beard, which he subsequently trimmed after the completion of the foot march.

Also Read: Bharat Jodo Yatra leaves behind trail of issues, hope for 2024 elections

Prominent faces who joined the yatra

On December 14, a furore erupted between the BJP and the Congress after former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra and shared space with Rahul.

Another row erupted between the parties as former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) secretary Amarjit Singh Dulat joined the yatra on January 3, with BJP leaders indicating that the former spymaster played a large role in "Kashmir's fiasco."

Social rights activist who spearheaded the Narmada Bachao Andolan Medha Patkar's presence at the BJY sparked a debate with Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, who labelled the yatra as "anti-Gujarati."

As the days went by and the yatra reached different states, actors such as Urmila Matondkar, Swara Bhasker, Pooja Bhatt, Amol Palekar, Riya Sen, boxer Vijender Singh, and hip-hop artist Divine participated in the countrywide walkathon as well.

Also Read: Beyond the Yatra, the everywhere retail, and more

The impact of yatra on the country's political landscape

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan, who also met Rahul in January on the sideline of the yatra, extended his support to the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. 
 

The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party chief revealed that he felt it was his "duty as an Indian" to voice his anguish by joining the yatra in a conversation with Rahul Gandhi.

Despite a tense situation in Rajasthan, after Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot slammed his former deputy Sachin Pilot and called him a 'gaddar' in an interview, the yatra served as a temporary truce between the two dissenting leaders.

The Shiv Sena, too, voiced its support for the yatra. NCP Chief Sharad Pawar dubbed the yatra "immensely useful" for the Congress. Senior NCP leader Supriya Sule also extended support and joined the walkathon.

While the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the yatra, terming it of "no consequence", the BJP actively criticised the yatra throughout its journey.

Controversies that plagued Congress' countrywide foot march

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh raised questions over the government's claims on surgical strikes and raised accusations of peddling lies, which dragged the Indian Army's actions into the furore.

Singh's questions led to an inflamed response from the BJP, which said that the Congress insulted Prime Minister Modi and the Indian Armed Forces. In response, Rahul Gandhi dismissed Singh's remarks as "personal" and not of the party.

An internal row broke out within the Congress after Dongra Swabhiman Sangathan Sangathan Party (DSSP) leader Choudhary Lal Singh decided to join the yatra. Congress spokesperson Deepika Pushkar Nath resigned from the party on January 17 over this, alleging that he compromised the 2018 Kathua rape case by "brazenly defending" the rapists of the eight-year-old girl.

When will the second leg of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra begin?

The second leg of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra is set to begin from Gujarat and extend to the northeastern state of Meghalaya. Senior party leader Jairam Ramesh had previously broached the possibility of a march from Porbandar in Gujarat to Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh 'before November'.

Confirming the news, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole told reporters on August 8 that party leaders within the state would hold a parallel march.

Prominent Congress leaders will lead the march in different parts of the western state.

(With agency input)