A week after it completes 100 days on the road, Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra rally will enter Delhi where Rahul Gandhi will pay his respects at the Veer Bhumi and Shakti Sthal. The yatris, the party’s workers who have walked over 3,000 kilometres with Gandhi since it started in Kanyakumari, will take a nine-day break before the Yatra resumes on January 3 from Sanoli Khurd on the outskirts of Haryana’s Panipat.
The Delhi leg of Gandhi’s yatra will take the workers across some of the main thoroughfares of the capital, including India Gate and Red Fort. Leaders of the Congress party said that on December 24, which will be the 108th day of the yatra, the route will commence from the outskirts of Delhi. The first leg of yatra on any day commences typically from 6am everyday and ends at 10:30am, and the second leg begins at 1:30 pm.
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For the Delhi leg, Gandhi will first walk to the Badarpur metro station, where Gandhi and the yatris will receive a reception as it enters the Capital. And after traversing this distance of 5 kilometres, it will move on to the Jairam Ashram at Ashram Chowk, covering over 16 kilometres before the midday break.
The yatra will then resume again at 1:30 pm from Jairam Ashram, after which the route will take the Yatra through Mathura Road, and then on to Zakir Hussain Marg, before spilling onto the India Gate circle. From India Gate, the rally will enter Tilak Lane, and move to ITO, and then to Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, after which it will cross Netaji Subhash Marg at Daryaganj. From Daryaganj, the yatris will walk to the Red Fort via the Anagpal Tomar Circle.
Gandhi will then walk towards Mahatma Gandhi’s resting place Raj Ghat, Indira Gandhi’s memorial Shakti Sthal and Veer Bhumi, Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial, where he will pay his tributes.
Sources in the party said that General Secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal held meetings with the leaders of the Delhi unit of the party, urging leaders to ensure a massive turnout. “Delhi Congress Pradesh Committee leaders have been asked to ensure a turnout of over 1 lakh workers, and ensure that the India Gate circle is covered at one go,” a leader involved in the process told DH. A massive turnout is expected, since the yatra is giving Uttar Pradesh a miss, and the party’s workers from the state will join the yatra at Delhi.
Last Monday, announcing the Yatra’s entry into the Capital on Twitter, the party’s communications chief, general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that a break of nine days was for the containers to be reinforced.
“… there will be a break of nine days, so that the containers can be repaired and prepared for the harsh winter in the north. Also, many Bharat Yatris will be able to spend time with their families after almost 4 months. The journey will resume on January 3, 2023,” Ramesh had tweeted.