Bharat Jodo Yatra hits final lap: Will it revive Congress’s fortunes? | India News

NEW DELHI: Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi concluded on Sunday after the senior Congress leader unfurled the national flag at the historic clock tower of Lal Chowk in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar. Congress had earlier planned to hoist the national flag at the PCC Office on Monday to mark the end of Yatra but was preponed due to permission issues.
“By hoisting the tricolour at Lal Chowk, the promise made to India was fulfilled today. Hate will lose, love will always win. There will be a new dawn of hopes in India,” Gandhi said on Twitter.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Yatra has spread the message of love to every corner of the country and urged the party’s supporters to unite for taking the nation forward.
3,570 kms 12 states
The yatra began on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and passed through 12 states, culminating in Jammu and Kashmir – spanning a distance of nearly 4,000km over the course of about 134 days. A host of Congress leaders walked over 4,000 kilometers during the campaign, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, and was dubbed by the grand old party as the “turning point in Indian politics”.

Many noted personalities from various walks of life showed support and joined Bharat Jodo Yatra bandwagon with Rahul Gandhi leading from the front.
Since it kicked off from Kanyakumari, the yatra covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
Star-studded affair
With this yatra, Gandhi managed to catch the attention of his supporters as well as detractors and seen quite a few celebrities including from tinsel town and academia walking alongside him from time to time.
Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan who has been critical of policies by the government. Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt participated in the Congress-led march in Hyderabad. Actor Swara Bhasker, who is known for her strong opinions against the government also joined Gandhi when the yatra was passing through Madhya Pradesh.
Comedian Kunal Kamra joined Rahul when the yatra reached Jaipur. Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan walked with Rahul Gandhi when the yatra entered Delhi. Veteran actor Amol Palekar and his wife, writer and filmmaker Sandhya Gokhale participated in the yatra in Maharashtra’s Buldhana. Actor Riya Sen also joined the yatra in Maharashtra. Actors Rashami Desai and Akanksha Puri also joined him.
Controversies galore
Controversies have been part and parcel of the yatra and it started with the BJP attacking Gandhi for wearing a Burberry T-shirt allegedly worth Rs 41,000 in Tamil Nadu to which the opposition party had hit back with a “10 lakh suit” barb directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
During the course of 3 months, BJP continued to trade barbs, be it over the grand old party tweeting a picture of khaki shorts on fire or the ruling party taking a swipe over a video of Rahul Gandhi meeting a controversial Christian pastor.
Even Gandhi’s beard made it to the war of words between the two parties with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a poll rally in Gujarat claiming that the former Congress chief had started to look like the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Rahul Gandhi was also targeted for wearing only a T-shirt during harsh winters. To which, the Wayanad MP said that the media is only reporting on his T-shirt while ignoring torn clothes of many children and poor farmers. He also said he would wear more clothes if he feels cold, which hasn’t been the case so far. However, he was seen wearing protective clothing when the yatra entered Jammu.
Will the yatra revive Congress’s fortune?
The yatra comes at a time when the Congress is facing its worst-ever phase in Indian politics. The party is in power on its own in just two states (Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh) and has been relegated to the third or fourth position in almost every state where there’s a regional player.
Due to its lackluster performance, several leaders have also questioned the party’s style of functioning, with the dissenting G23 leaders routinely taking on the leadership over Congress’s organisational structure.
The yatra is presumed to be Congress’s last-ditch effort to infuse energy among its dejected cadre base and revive hopes that it can be a formidable force in future elections.
However, whether the yatra will translate into any electoral dividend remains to be seen. A clearer picture of the impact on the party’s electoral fortunes would emerge in the assembly polls this year, including in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, which were covered well by the Yatra.