Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday unfurled the Tricolour and sang the national anthem at historic Lal Chowk in Srinagar, as Mr. Gandhi-led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ reached the final destination from south India’s Kanyakumari after covering 4,080 km in 137 days.
Mr. Gandhi resumed the yatra from Panthachowk on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday morning and marched towards summer capital Srinagar. In an unscheduled move, Mr. Gandhi, who was otherwise scheduled to unfurl the Tricolour on January 30 at the Congress office in Srinagar, headed for historic Lal Chowk and unfurled the flag near Ghanta Ghar or central Clock Tower, just meters away from where Jawaharlal Nehru gave an historic speech on November 20, 1947.
“75 years ago, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national flag for the first time at Lal Chowk. Today at noon after the completion of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Rahul Gandhi unfurled the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
On the unscheduled move of Mr. Gandhi to reach Lal Chowk for a flag unfurling ceremony, Mr. Ramesh said, “Rahul Gandhi was supposed to unfurl the national flag on Jan 30th in PCC office, since permission to do so elsewhere wasn’t given. Last evening, the State administration allowed him to do so in Lal Chowk, but under condition that it should be done today on 29th at the end of Bharat Jodo Yatra.”
Mr. Gandhi will address a press conference in the evening. He is likely to address a gathering on January 30 in Srinagar where several Opposition leaders are likely to join him on the culmination of the yatra.
Mr. Gandhi has walked for 137 days as part of his yatra and covered around 4,080 kilometers in around 47 districts of the country.
