Cong's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' to start from Kanyakumari on Sept 7

New Delhi: Gearing up for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress on Tuesday said that its mass-outreach programme would begin on September 7 from Kanyakumari and traverse 3,500 kilometres through 12 states to end in Kashmir over four months later. The padyatra would be flagged off at 5 pm from the Gandhi Mandapam in Kanyakumari by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress on Tuesday also launched the logo, tagline and website of its upcoming Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is claimed by the party as a mass contact programme of an unprecedented scale.

Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the main yatra will cover 3,570 km from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north over a period of about five months beginning September 7. Simultaneously, smaller 'Bharat Jodo Yatras' will be taken out in various states. Digvijaya Singh, who heads the party's yatra organising committee, told the press conference that Congress president Sonia Gandhi wants people from every religion, caste and community to participate in the campaign.

"There will be 100 'padayatris' who will walk from start to finish. They will be 'Bharat Yatris'. Around 100 people will keep joining from the states through which this yatra is not passing, these people will be 'Atithi Yatras'. Around 100 yatris will be involved from the states through which the journey will pass, these will be 'Pradesh Yatris'. At a time, there will be 300 padayatris," Singh said. Responding to a question, he said, "Rahul Gandhi is a big leader of the country and will be a 'Bharat Yatri' in the yatra." Singh and Ramesh also unveiled the tagline of the yatra --- 'Mile Kadam, Jude Watan' --- a four-page pamphlet.