The yatra ended with a mega rally at the Sher-I-Kashmir Cricket Stadium.
New Delhi:
The closing ceremony of the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress began today in inclement weather with a flag-raising ceremony at the party’s Srinagar office in Jammu and Kashmir. A rally in a stadium soon followed. Top Kashmir leaders Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party spoke at the event amid heavy snowfall. Speeches by Congress leaders followed, including Rahul Gandhi, who led the march.
As part of the closing ceremony of the Congress Pan-Indian Walk, the Congress organized the mega-rally at the Sher-I-Kashmir Cricket Stadium to mark the end of the 135-day Kanyakumari-Kashmir Yatra.
In addition to the full Congress leadership, over a dozen leaders from opposition parties will attend the rally. However, the snowfall has forced the closure of the Srinagar-Jammu national highway and may also disrupt air traffic. Many opposition leaders expected to attend the finale of the yatra led by Congressman Rahul Gandhi may not make it.
Poor visibility and persistent snowfall have delayed all flights to Srinagar, Srinagar Airport Director Kuldeep Singh Rishi said on Twitter.
Vistara Airlines has canceled both flights from Delhi to Srinagar for the day.
21 parties have been invited to the event, but some are not attending due to security concerns, sources said. Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and TDP are among the parties skipping the event.
The “Padyatra” ended in the Lal Chowk area on Sunday when Rahul Gandhi unfurled the national flag, but the official closure would take place on Monday in Srinagar, where snowfall is forecast.
The 12 parties confirmed to participate are: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by MK Stalin, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) led by Tejashwi Yadav, Janata Dal (United ) by Nitish Kumar and Uddhav Thackeray Shiv Sena, CPI(M), CPI, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Kerala Congress, Farooq Abdullah-led Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Mehbooba Muftis Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Shibu Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
The yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir began on September 7th at the southern tip of the country and will end in Srinagar on January 30th, after traveling 3,970 km in 12 states and two union territories.
Rahul Gandhi held over 100 corner sessions and 13 press conferences during the Yatra. He had over 275 planned rear-end interactions and over 100 seated interactions.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will raise the national flag at the seat of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee and also unveil a monument to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. After that, the rally would take place.
Rahul Gandhi told a news conference on Sunday that the Bharat Jodo Yatra went south to north but had nationwide implications, claiming that the march gave the country an alternative vision.