Alappuzha (Kerala): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attracted attention after he fixed a young girl's sandals while he, the girl and several others were marching during the 11th day of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kerala on Sunday.
Congress party posted a video on its official Twitter handle in which Rahul is seen fixing the girl's sandals. "Simplicity...Simplicity...Simplicity. With the intention of connecting the country, they are moving on the path of Karma. Making a historical record of uniting the country," read the rough English translation of the Congress tweet as the party shared the video.
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सादगी...सरलता...सौम्यता
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 18, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
देश जोड़ने का इरादा लिए वे कर्मपथ पर बढ़ रहे हैं
देश को एकजुट करने की ऐतिहासिक इबारत गढ़ रहे हैं#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/qCHFaDs5jx
">सादगी...सरलता...सौम्यता
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 18, 2022
देश जोड़ने का इरादा लिए वे कर्मपथ पर बढ़ रहे हैं
देश को एकजुट करने की ऐतिहासिक इबारत गढ़ रहे हैं#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/qCHFaDs5jxसादगी...सरलता...सौम्यता
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 18, 2022
देश जोड़ने का इरादा लिए वे कर्मपथ पर बढ़ रहे हैं
देश को एकजुट करने की ऐतिहासिक इबारत गढ़ रहे हैं#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/qCHFaDs5jx
In it, the father of the girl could be seen saying that his daughter had woken up at 4 am to meet Rahul Gandhi. "He is a very simple man. Nothing like a VIP. India needs such a leader," the man is seen saying as he stands with his daughter in his lap.
Later in the day, Rahul concluded the morning leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra march at Ottappana in Alappuzha district. Rahul and Yatra participants will rest and have food in Karuvatta near here after which the Congress leader will interact with the farmers of Kuttanad and other neighbouring regions.
Hundreds of people, including women and children thronged both sides of the road to get a glimpse of Gandhi. "These are not just pictures, these are the feelings of each and every citizen of the country, of their hope, of their unity, of their strength, of their love," Rahul said in a Facebook post with some pictures of those who came to meet him.
A girl presented him with a drawing she made. Rahul also interacted with cyclists whom he met enroute. People were seen rushing to talk and hug Rahul. He was seen lending an ear to their woes and discussing their hopes and aspirations. Rahul tweeted: "Without harmony, there is no progress. Without progress, there are no jobs. Without jobs, there is no future. The #BharatJodoYatra is uniting the voices of despair, to break the shackles of unemployment."
The yatra, which entered its 11th day, started shortly after 6.30 AM and senior leaders including Ramesh Chennithala, K Muraleedharan, Kodikunnil Suresh, K C Venugopal and Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan walked beside Gandhi in the 13 km-long first leg of the march. According to the schedule, the yatra resumed at 5 PM from Purakkad which is 6.5 km away from Karuvatta and Gandhi and the yatra members are travelling that distance by vehicle.
The evening session is scheduled to end at 7 PM near T D Medical College Hospital, Vandanam. The march will be covering 7.5 km in the evening leg. The yatra members will be stopping at Carmel College of Engineering and Technology, Punnapra, which is 3.4 km away.
The Congress party's 3,570 km and 150-day long foot march started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will conclude in Jammu and Kashmir. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered Kerala on September 10 evening, would traverse through the state covering 450 km, touching seven districts over a period of 19 days before entering Karnataka on October 1. (Agency inputs)
