Page 16 - Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi unfurls flag at 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' campsite at PCC office

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hoisted the national flag at the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' camp site here and followed it with a fun snowball fight with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Donning a white T-shirt and a sleeveless jacket, the former Congress chief hoisted the flag at the camp site in Panthachowk to the tunes of the national anthem played to mark the culmination of the yatra, amid a fresh snowfall in the city. In a brief address to the 'Bharat Yatris', Gandhi thanked them for their love, affection and support through the 136-day foot march, which began in Kanyakumari on September 7 last year. The Gandhi siblings later joined Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and scores of other party leaders at the Pradesh Congress Committee office on the Maulana Azad Road where another flag hoisting ceremony was held. The national anthem was playing after this. The local administration had made stringent security arrangements for the programme as Lal Chowk was off limits for ...

Curtains to come down on Bharat Jodo Yatra with flag unfurling in Srinagar

The curtains will come down on the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra on Monday with a ceremony at the party headquarters here and a rally at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium where several Opposition leaders are also likely to be present. The "padyatra" concluded at the Lal Chowk area on Sunday with Rahul Gandhi unfurling the national flag but the official closing would take place on Monday in Srinagar, which is witnessing snowfall. The yatra traversed 12 states and two Union territories in nearly five months after its launch on September 7 last year, clocking over 4,000 km. During the course of the yatra, Rahul Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings, 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will unfurl the national flag at the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters and also unveil a memorial for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The rally would take place after

Promise made to India fulfilled: Rahul after hoisting tricolour in Srinagar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday unfurled the national flag at the historic clock tower of Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar as part of the Kanyakumari-Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and said a "promise" made to India has been fulfilled. Gandhi described the yatra as the deepest and beautiful experience of his life. The security for the 10-minute event was at its peak as all roads in a one-kilometre radius leading to the chowk, which holds symbolic importance for the city, were sealed off from Saturday night and no vehicular movement was allowed. Barricades were set up and concertina wires installed at all entry points with a heavy deployment of security personnel, while shops, business establishments and the weekly flea market were closed as part of the security exercise. Gandhi, along with his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party leaders and workers, resumed the final lap of the yatra in Jammu and Kashmir from Srinagar's Pantha Chowk around 10:45

Cong launches Haath Se Haath Jodo campaign in UP to connect with people

The Congress has started a 'Haath Se Haath Jodo' campaign in Uttar Pradesh, as a follow-up to its 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', to reach out to people in the hinterlands ahead of the 2024 general elections. This state-level campaign, party leaders, said will strengthen the Congress' prospects and act as an extension of the Kanyakumari to Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' that passed through the politically crucial state earlier this month. Uttar Pradesh sends sends 80 members to the 542-member Lok Sabha. The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is currently in its final lap in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, with Rahul Gandhi hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk in the city on Sunday. AICC national general secretary and in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to visit the state in February for the programme, party leaders said. The 'Haath Se Haath Jodo' campaign is aimed at apprising people at the grassroots level of the failures of the central government, they said. Armed with a letter from

Rahul Gandhi unfurls national flag at Srinagar's Lal Chowk as 'BJY' ends

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday unfurled the national flag at the historic clock tower of Lal Chowk here as part of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', amid stringent security measures usually reserved for a prime ministerial visit. Taking a 30-minute break from the Kanyakumari to Kashmir foot march at Sonawar, Gandhi drove to the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters on Maulana Azad Road before heading to the clock tower, locally known as 'Ghanta Ghar', to unfurl the tricolour. Gandhi was accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir for the flag hoisting. The security for the 10-minute event was at its peak as all roads leading to Lal Chowk had been sealed off from Saturday night and no vehicular movement was allowed. Shops, business establishments and the weekly flea market were closed as part of the security drill for the flag unfurling by the former Congress president.

Kashmiri Pandits are asking what has govt done for us: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi had a conversation with the group in Jammu where Kashmiri Pandits complained about the apathy they were facing from the government

Rahul Gandhi resumes final lap of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Srinagar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Srinagar's Panthachowk on Sunday, as the foot march entered its last day. Gandhi, along with his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, began the yatra at 10:45 am in his trademark white T-shirt. The Gandhis joined hundreds of Congress supporters, including women, who were seen carrying the tricolour and party flags. The yatra will cover a distance of seven kilometres up to the Sonwar area of the city. After a brief halt there, the Gandhis will reach the Lal Chowk City Centre to unfurl the tricolour. The whole area around Lal Chowk has been sealed off and a multi-layer security ring deployed around the city centre. After Lal Chowk, the yatra will travel to Nehru Park in the Boulevard area of the city, marking an end to the 4,080-km walkathon, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7 and traversed 75 districts across the country. On Monday, Gandhi will unfurl the tricolour at the party ..

Rahul Gandhi walks 3,000 km to challenge PM Modi in 2024 LS election

By stopping in smallest, most remote of villages, Gandhi has sold himself as one among the masses, and capable of counteracting BJP's efforts to push Hindu majoritarian views in a secular nation

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi joins Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra in J&K

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday joined her brother Rahul Gandhi at the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Lethpora in Jammu and Kashmir as the party's foot march entered its penultimate day. Priyanka Gandhi walked alongside the former Congress president amidst tight security arrangements before the yatra stopped for a break at Lethpora. The yatra resumed from Awantipora where PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and her daughter Iltija Mufti joined Gandhi, the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad in Kerala, for the march. Gandhi also paid homage to the 40 CRPF personnel who were killed in a suicide car bomb attack at Lethpora by laying a bouquet at the spot where the security force's bus was blown up in February 2019. The yatra is scheduled to halt at Panthachowk for the night. The march which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, is scheduled to reach Pantha Chowk in the outskirts of Srinagar later in the day, after a single stop near Birla School in Galandar area of Pampore. After a ni

LIVE: Cong must be fulcrum of any Oppn alliance for 2024, says Ramesh

LIVE news updates: The Congress general secretary also said in his view the Congress should be preparing to fight on its own in every state in the 2029 general elections

Rahul alleges security lapse in Congress's BJY, J-K Police rejects charge

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that police arrangement "completely collapsed" during Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir and he had "to cancel" his walk.

Bharat Jodo Yatra aimed at changing India's situation: Omar Abdullah

The Bharat Jodo Yatra's aim is not to "improve" Rahul Gandhi's image but to change the prevailing atmosphere of the country, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said Friday as he joined the Congress' Kanyakumari to Kashmir march passing through here. The former chief minister, however, sidestepped questions on the Congress' stand on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, saying he does not want to delve into it. "We have joined this march not for the image of an individual but for the image of the country," Abdullah said. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi did not start the yatra for personal reasons but due to his concern over the "attempts of creating communal tensions and targeting minorities" in the country. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country," the National Conference (NC) leader told reporters upon his arrival in this highway town, 120 kilometres from Srinagar. "This ...

Bharat Jodo Yatra suspended temporarily in Kashmir due to security concerns

The Bharat Jodo march led by Rahul Gandhi was stopped on Friday near Qazigund, the gateway to the valley, after Congress alleged breach of security and mismanagement of crowd by Jammu and Kashmir administration. AICC incharge Rajni Patil tweeted that JK administration "failed to provide security to Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Shri Rahul Gandhi. "Security lapses indicate unfair and unprepared attitude of the UT administration," Patil said. Gandhi, after reaching Qazigund, started to walk towards Vessu in South Kashmir as per the plan but the Congress workers suddenly found that the outer cordon, which was to be managed by Jammu and Kashmir police, had disappeared, Congress leaders alleged. Gandhi was scheduled to walk 11 kms on Friday but had to call off after he barely walked 500 metres, they said. "Due to security reasons, we had to stop the yatra temporarily as there was crowd mismanagement along the yatra route approved by the security apparatus," a senior congress leader said. H

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes today from J-K's Banihal

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Jammu and Kashmir's Banihal on Friday en route to the Valley. Enthusiastic Congress workers and supporters carrying the tricolour turned up in large numbers to receive the Gandhi family scion. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah also joined Gandhi at Banihal. Donning a white T-shirt like Gandhi, Abdullah started walking with the Congress leader, along with hundreds of Congress party supporters. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country," the NC leader told reporters upon his arrival in this highway town of Banihal, 120 km from Srinagar. Abdullah said he joined the yatra as he was more concerned about the image of the country. "We have not joined this for the image of an individual but for the image of the county," he said. The NC leader further said Gandhi did not start the yatra f

NC leader Omar Abdullah joins Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra from Banihal

NC leader Omar Abdullah Friday joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra here, saying that the Rahul Gandhi-led march is not being carried out for the image makeover of the Congress leader, but rather to change the situation and atmosphere of the country. The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said he does not want to delve into Congress' stand on the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. "The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country," the National Conference (NC) leader told reporters upon his arrival in this highway town, 120 kilometres from Srinagar. Abdullah said he joined the yatra as he was more concerned about the image of the country. "We have not joined this for the image of an individual but for the image of the county," he said. The NC leader further said Gandhi did not start the yatra for personal reasons but due to his concern over the attempts to create communal tensions and targe

Cong in Goa to distribute Rahul's letters promising LPG cylinders at Rs 500

The Congress in Goa will distribute letters written by its leader Rahul Gandhi which mention that the party will provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 if it comes back to power in the coastal state in 2024.

Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra aims to unite country: Farooq Abdullah

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra was meant to unite the country and was against hatred being sown between communities for electoral gains. Stressing that people should unite for each other's welfare, he said hate will only lead to misery. The aim of the Yatra is to unite the nation and break the (walls of) hatred. The message of this march is that unless we unite and think together for the welfare of each other, we cannot make the nation that our forefathers had dreamt of and given sacrifices for, " Abdullah told reporters at Aushmuqam in Anantnag district. The NC president was in the south Kashmir town to attend a condolence meeting. Abdullah said hatred was being spread between communities in the country for "just winning the elections". This approach will not take the nation and people towards prosperity, it will only lead to misery," he added. Referring to the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits thre

All security measures in place for BJY along Jammu-Srinagar highway: CRPF

Security forces are on alert and have put in place all measures along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for the safety of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, officials said on Wednesday, a day before it is scheduled to reach Kashmir. CRPF Deputy Inspector General (Operations), South Kashmir, Alok Avasthi said the force is anyway always on alert. "We are more alert as far as the Bharat Jodo Yatra is concerned. Otherwise also, we are alert always. Whoever travels on the highway should feel safe, we have taken all security measures," he told reporters in Pulwama. Asked about the security measures for Republic Day, Avasthi said any intelligence about attempts to vitiate the peace here will be acted upon strongly. "We are fully alert. If there are intelligence inputs of any element trying to disrupt peace, we will destroy those elements," the CRPF officer said. Earlier, the CRPF distributed sewing machines among beneficiaries who had approached the CRPF helpline 'Madadgaar'.

Second leg of Cong BJY in J-K's Ramban, Banihal cancelled due to weather

Bad weather and landslides on Wednesday led to the cancellation of the second leg of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra that was scheduled to start this afternoon in the nearby highway town of Banihal. Amid incessant rains, Gandhi resumed the march from Ramban Wednesday morning but inclement weather forced its suspension. The march will now resume on Friday as tomorrow is a rest day. The journey from Ramban to Banihal along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway - the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country -- is the most challenging due to several problematic stretches, including Panthiyal, Mehar and Magerkote which are prone to shooting of stones from the hillocks overlooking the arterial road. Traffic on the highway was suspended Wednesday morning after heavy rains triggered shooting of stones at a few places in Ramban district that left a truck driver dead and two others injured. "Due to poor weather conditions and landslides in the area, the aftern

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes amid rains in J-K's Ramban

Amid incessant rains, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resumed his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Ramban Wednesday and is heading for the highway town of Banihal. The journey from Ramban to Banihal along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway - the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country -- is the most challenging due to several problematic stretches, including Panthiyal, Mehar and Magerkote which are prone to shooting of stones from the hillocks overlooking the arterial road. Traffic on the highway was suspended Wednesday morning after heavy rains triggered shooting of stones at a few places in Ramban district that left a truck driver dead and two others injured. J-K Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Jahanzaib Sirwal said the yatra resumed around 9 am from Bathi after an hour-long delay due to heavy rains and was progressing smoothly on day 131, covering the old alignment road via Maitra in Ramban town. Gandhi, who started the yatra wearing his trademar