‘The message of Bharat Jodo Yatra is in the DNA of Kerala’: Rahul Gandhi

“Kerala respects everyone in the state and does not allow itself to be divided or hatred to spread here and therefore, the Bharat Jodo Yatra is an extension of these ideas,” said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday, September 11 at the culmination of the fifth day of the yatra at Nemom in Kerala. The second day of the Kerala leg of Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra also witnessed a huge turnout as party leader Rahul Gandhi commenced his walk from Vellayani junction in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday morning.

Addressing thousands who had joined the yatra during the course of the day, Rahul said, "Standing together, working together in harmony is natural and normal for the people of Kerala and you have shown this to the rest of the country." He further said the reason the state has a good education system and the "most compassionate nurses" is because "Kerala respects everyone in Kerala". "It does not allow itself to be divided nor does it allow hatred to spread in the state. So in a sense, Bharat Jodo Yatra is just an extension of the ideas that prevail in Kerala," he added.

He also said that the message Congress was trying to spread through the yatra was "not a new message". "It is quite an old message which is in the DNA of Kerala," he said and also thanked the people for showing up in such large numbers for supporting the yatra.

The first day of Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kerala, where the party has a significant cadre base and followers, saw a huge turnout which increased during the day as the journey progressed from Parassala to Nemom in the southernmost district of the state. A large crowd of Congress members and workers as well as onlookers gathered at Parassala early in the morning, along with senior party leaders to welcome Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi as he commenced the Kerala leg of the 3,570-km long yatra from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu to Jammu and Kashmir.