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Ahead of starting the much-hyped ''Bharat Jodo Yatra'', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attended a prayer meeting at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur on Wednesday. Rahul Gandhi paid floral tribute at his father''s memorial. Sriperumbudur is where his father Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a bomb blast on May 21, 1991, while campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls. Local Congress leaders including Karnataka state party chief DK Shivakumar were present at the prayer meeting.
After the prayer meet, Rahul Gandhi left for Kanyakumari where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin will present him the Tricolour. The Congress leader will address a rally while officially kickstarting the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In what is being seen as a Congress'' "masterstroke" to take on the Narendra Modi government in the upcoming 2024 elections, the party is launching the ''Bharat Jodo Yatra'' today in which Rahul Gandhi will start the 3,570 km journey lasting about 150 days from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. As the party begins the nationwide yatra, some pertinent questions arise about the lodging and flooding of Rahul Gandhi. However, the party has made it clear that he will not stay in any hotel but rather will complete the entire journey in a simple manner. Rahul Gandhi is going to stay in the container for the next 150 days. Sleeping beds, toilets and AC are also installed in some of the containers. During the journey, the temperature and environment will differ in many areas. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places. "About 60 such containers have been prepared and sent to Kanyakumari where a village has been set up in which all these containers have been placed. The container will be parked in a new place every day in the shape of a village for night rest. Full-time Yatris who stay with Rahul Gandhi will eat together and stay close," said the sources. The sources further said that Rahul Gandhi considers the Bharat Jodo Yatra journey as a way to connect with the common people. "So he wants to complete this entire journey in a simple way away from the glitz and glamour. Rahul Gandhi calls it a journey but political analysts consider it a preparation for 2024," the sources added. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress party''s general secretary, on Tuesday asserted that through the ''Bharat Jodo Yatra'' people will be united on issues like inflation, and unemployment among other matters of public importance. "We are starting a positive politics. We want to hear from you, we want to solve your problems. We want to unite our beloved country. Let''s unite India together," Priyanka said in a Facebook video. Politics today has turned a blind eye towards people and their issues, she added. "Political discussion today isn''t focusing on the people of the country, it has taken a different turn altogether. Politics today has turned a blind eye towards people and their issues. Through this ''yatra'' we want to bring out the problems and concerns of the common man," Priyanka said. The senior Congress party leader urged people to join the ''yatra,'' adding that people should unite to make the country prosperous. The yatra will proceed mainly through 12 states, including Himachal Pradesh, where Assembly polls are due later this year. (ANI)
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