Jolt to DAP, 2 ex-legislators among 60 join Cong
Unfurling tri-colour at Lal Chowk ‘RSS agenda’: Cong
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Jan 17: Senior AICC leader and Incharge J&K affairs of the party, Rajni Patil (MP) today said that ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by senior AICC leader Rahul Gandhi will culminate with grand rally at Srinagar while Yatra will enter J&K at Lakhanpur on January 19 at around 5.45 pm.
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Talking to media persons here today, Patil said the J&K UT administration has granted permission for this mega rally to mark the culmination of the Rahul Gandhi-led Yatra’ at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium on January 30.
AICC In-charge J&K further said that leaders of 23 political parties from across the country and people from abroad were expected to take part in the rally. Party president, Mallikarjun Kharge has given invitations to the heads of various political parties, she said.
“We have received permission from the Jammu and Kashmir administration for the January 30 rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar. The Yatra’s Jammu and Kashmir leg will be the most successful with massive participation of people,” Patil added.
She said the Yatra had generated tremendous response from the first day. The march, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, will conclude with Gandhi hoisting the national flag in Srinagar. It has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.
“The Yatra will enter Lakhanpur from Punjab on Thursday evening. The flag handover ceremony will take place near Maharaja Gulab Singh’s statue between 5.45 pm and 6.15 pm.
“After halting for the night, Gandhi will lead the Yatra from Hatli Morh in Kathua from 7 am the next morning and take night halt at Chadwal. January 21 will be break day . And from Jan 22 Yatra will start from Hiranagar Morh and after passing through Gaghwal and Samba will take night halt at Nanke Chak,” Patil said.
The rally will reach Jammu on January 23. “We are planning a rally in the city and have applied for permission from the administration. We are hopeful of getting it as well,” the Congress leader said.
She said a Congress delegation met the Additional Director-General of Police today and discussed in detail the yatra’s security aspects.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and leaders of other parties will join the yatra in Lakhanpur, Patil said, adding former Minister Lal Singh had also expressed his desire to welcome the yatra.
“National Conference Vice-President Omar Abdullah will join the Yatra after it crosses the Banihal tunnel into Kashmir, while People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti has informed that she and her daughter would also join,” she added.
Patil said anyone who believed in Gandhi’s ideology of uniting the country and the philosophy of the Congress were welcome to be part of the Yatra.
She said many people had expressed reservations about the response to the foot march in Jammu and Kashmir but “I want to tell them that the Yatra will be a grand success here as well like it generated the response while moving from various States”.
The Congress leader said Gandhi would leave Jammu for Kashmir on January 24, crossing Udhampur town. The night halt will be at Ramban on January 25.
Patil said Rahul Gandhi will hoist the Tricolour at the Congress headquarters in Srinagar on January 30, and not the Lal Chowk, saying unfurling it there was part of “the RSS agenda”.
“We do not believe in the agenda of the RSS to hoist the Tricolour at Lal Chowk, where it has already flown high,” Patil said when asked about the plan for Rahul to hoist the national flag on the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 30.
Asked whether the Congress expected any leaders to join the party during the yatra, she said Gandhi had made it clear that the march was apolitical and only meant to unite the country against hatred.
However, the party will inform Gandhi about pressing issues such as the Government’s land eviction drive and the demands of Kashmiri Pandits, she added.
Several delegations are also expected to meet Gandhi during the yatra, Patil said. A 40-member delegation from Ladakh will brief the Congress leader about their problems, she added.
Gandhi is also likely to address two press conferences — one each in Jammu and Srinagar.
Earlier, about 60 leaders and activists of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Party (DAP) joined Congress Party in presence of Rajni Patil, JKPCC chief Vikar Rasool Wani, former Union Minister Bharat Solanki, ex-DyCM Tara Chand, former PCC chief Peerzada Mohd Sayeed, JKPCC working president, Raman Bhalla, chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, Balwan Singh and others.
Prominent among those who joined Congress today included former MLC Nizamuddin Khatana, former MLA Mohd Khaleel, former Vice Chairman Gujjar and Bakerwal Board Ch Gulzar Ahmed, VDC chairman Dwarka Nath Sharma, Madan Lal Sharma, Jagatar Singh, Daljeet Singh, SS Chib, Kulbhushan Singh Jamwal, Ram Pal, Raman Sharma and others.
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