Abdullahs, Mehbooba Mufti to join ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Jammu & Kashmir

The Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ set its foot in Delhi on December 24

Three former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir – Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti – are set to join the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi when it reaches the Union Territory in the third week of January.

The Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ set foot in Delhi on December 24 and after covering the national capital, the yatra will take a break for nine days, and then enter Uttar Pradesh on January 3.

Congress MP K C Venugopal on Tuesday said that political leaders, including National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar, and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti had expressed their willingness to participate in the yatra being carried out by Congress “to unite the countrymen against the divisive politics” of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar.

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“Certainly I am happy to say that leaders like Farooq Abdullah, Omar and Mehbooba are joining Bharat Jodo Yatra in J&K,” he told reporters in Jammu.

The senior Abdullah in November, while expressing his willingness to join the yatra, had said it was the need of the hour to stand united against politics of hate and division in order to strengthen the socio-religious brotherhood.

In a tweet, Mehbooba while confirming that she will participate in the yatra, said, “Ive been formally invited to join @RahulGandhi ji for his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir today. Salute his indomitable courage & I believe it is my duty to stand with someone who has the courage to challenge fascist forces. Will be joining him in his march towards a better India.”

Venugopal claimed that the impact of yatra was increasing with each passing “which indicates that people of the country want secular ethics intact within the country.”

The Congress MP said the yatra in J&K is likely to take place on January 22-23. He lamented that the BJP government was trying to instill fear in the minds of people about a new variant of Covid virus.

“When flights are coming from China uninterruptedly and there is no protocol for arriving passengers, why is the government creating drama in the name of Covid19. It seems to be a ploy of the government to stop our yatra,” he added.