THE CROWDS all by means of, within the area the place the once-dominant Congress is on the decline, had been encouraging, as Rahul Gandhi himself remarked. Nonetheless, the Telangana leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra lastly ended on a sombre observe – a day after the Munugode bypoll consequence, the place the Congress that had received the seat in 2018 ended up with much less votes than required for its candidate to avoid wasting her deposit.
On Monday night, Rahul crossed over from Jukkal in Kamareddy district into Deglur in Nanded district of Maharashtra. The curtains had been known as on the Telangana leg with a public gathering at Kamareddy.
LIVE: Bharat Jodo Yatra | Fathlapur to Gurudwara, Degloor | Kamareddy to Nanded | Telangana to Maharashtra https://t.co/Q7mmVCemUP
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 7, 2022
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The assembly was well-attended, however now, because the mud on the Bharat Jodo Yatra settles, the query inevitably being requested is as to what would it not do to carry the Congress in each Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Whereas the Yatra spent 11 days in Telangana, the place it has been shedding regardless of a UPA authorities fulfilling the statehood demand, it was for 4 days in Andhra, the place it was worn out after the bifurcation.
Rahul walked practically 370 km in Telangana, traversing 19 Meeting segments and 7 parliamentary constituencies, between October 23 and November 7, with a Diwali break within the center and a fast sprint to Delhi to attend the taking on of the brand new Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge.
Rahul repeatedly remarked at numerous interactions about being “overwhelmed” by individuals from all walks of life becoming a member of him. Nonetheless, to many watchers, that will have been the precise downside with the Yatra, which drew away essential occasion leaders on the top of the Munugode marketing campaign whilst its numbers had been largely made up by social activists and NGO associates.
The Congress chief was met by landowning in addition to tenant farmers, weavers, girls, school and college college students, civil society members, representatives of staff’ unions and dozens of NGOs, minority group leaders, social and civil activists, writers, educationists, home and municipal staff, and transgenders. “Persons are in misery as a result of insurance policies of the state authorities, in addition to the Centre. There’s an outpouring of grief,” Rahul mentioned at one interplay.
Among the many outstanding guests had been Radhika Vemula, the mom of College of Hyderabad Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula who dedicated suicide; actors Pooja Bhatt and Poonam Kaur; former Navy chief and trenchant Modi authorities critic L Ramdas; and activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
Three days in the past, Union minister Anurag Thakur, within the midst of the Himachal Pradesh ballot marketing campaign, appeared to comment on Rahul’s companions, saying the Congress chief was “strolling with the tukde-tukde gang”.
Among the many points mentioned had been the correct to dignity, livelihood, safety and healthcare for the poor, social safety of unorganised sector staff, repeal of anti-worker labour codes, and unjust evictions of slum dwellers. Rahul, who has mentioned his Yatra was to unite India and discuss in regards to the marginalised, repeatedly raised the difficulty of land possession for the poorest of the poor.
On the numbers coming for the Yatra, at the least a few of which within the preliminary phases in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh had been organised by die-hard supporters of the late Congress titan Y S Rajashekara Reddy, Rahul mentioned: “Some Congress leaders are additionally shocked on the response. They’re very enthused and I feel there’s scope for the Congress to develop within the state once more.”
However then got here the Munugode consequence, which didn’t generate a whisper from the Yatris.