Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his team suspended the Bharat Jodo Yatra in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir due to inclement weather on Wednesday.
Mr. Gandhi had resumed the yatra amid rains on Wednesday but later called it off in Ramban due to the bad weather.
“Due to poor weather conditions and landslides in the area, the afternoon leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ramban and Banihal has been cancelled. Tomorrow is a rest day and the yatra will resume the day after, January 27th at 8 a.m.,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
Mr. Gandhi was scheduled to unfurl the Tricolour on January 26 in Banihal before entering the Kashmir Valley. The function may not take place now.
An official said the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, with Ramban almost at the centre, was blocked due to landslips and mudslides at several places between Charkote and Banihal. Several stretches of the highway also received snowfall on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, whose son Omar Abdullah is likely to join the yatra in the Valley, said, “The aim of the yatra is to unite the nation and break the [walls of] hatred. The message is that unless we unite and think together for the welfare of each other, we cannot realize the nation that our forefathers sacrificed their lives for,” Dr. Abdullah said.
