Hyderabad: The Congress will resume its “Bharat Jodo Yatra” after a three-day Diwali break on Thursday. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Telangana from Delhi by air later tonight and join the yatra from Makthal in Narayanpet district.
The state police are on high alert to ensure that the 375-kilometre travel by Congress leaders, as part of the Yatra, passes off peacefully.
Senior party officials said that after entering Telangana, Rahul Gandhi had returned to Delhi to celebrate Diwali and is expected back in Telangana later tonight. After starting around 6:30 am and covering three kilometres, Rahul Gandhi will offer prayers at the nearby Kanyaka Parameswari temple before moving onwards.
Many Congress leaders, accompanying Rahul, had entered Telangana on October 23 at Gudebellur from Raichur in Karnataka. He is expected to travel 27km on Thursday before stopping for the night at Makthal.
From Friday, the Yatra will continue non-stop for 16 days covering 19 assemblies and 7 Parliamentary constituencies. On November 7, Rahul Gandhi will enter Maharashtra.
A sitting MP from Wayanad in Kerala, Rahul Gandhi will get the opinion about the Congress and how to improve its electoral scores by interacting with various strata of society, including politicians and the commoner.
In Telangana, he is expected to visit some holy places belonging to all religions. His grandmother Indira Gandhi was a sitting MP from Medak when she was assassinated.
After starting from Kanyakumari on September 7, the Bharat Jodo Yatra has already covered Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Several senior leaders are determining the route of the yatra to bring benefits to the party based on electoral compulsions.