JK unit of Shiv Sena to join Rahul Gandhi led Bharat Joda Yatra in Jammu

Extending support to the Rahul Gandhi led Bharat Jodo Yatra which is scheduled to enter Jammu and Kashmir next week, Shiv Sena leader Manish Sahni on Wednesday said they will join the march in Jammu.

Sahni, president of the J-K unit of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), lauded Gandhi for the initiative and appealed to people to join the march in huge numbers to give a "befitting reply to those who do politics of hatred and religion".

"We will welcome and join the Bharat Jodo Yatra on its arrival in the city of temples as per the instructions of party's national secretary and MP Anil Desai. In this era of despair and hatred, the Yatra which is carrying the message of brotherhood is most needed in the country, especially in Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters here.

He charged that religion and casteism are being resorted to divert public attention from various important issues like unemployment, inflation and economic distress.

"Jammu and Kashmir, the crown of the country, is suffering after it was bifurcated into two union territories (in August 2019) and its special status under Article 370 taken away," he said, adding people have been waiting for restoration of the democratic process over the past three years.

He also added that terrorist attacks on minorities have witnessed a spurt over the past couple of years.

The Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, will conclude in Srinagar by January 30, with Gandhi hoisting the national flag in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

The march has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.