Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes; to enter Uttar Pradesh through Ghaziabad

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is all set to resume in Delhi after a nine-day break for year-end festivities. Gandhi is expected to restart the yatra from Delhi and enter Uttar Pradesh by afternoon from Loni in Ghaziabad.  

Gandhi, who is scheduled to spend three days in Yogi Adityanath-ruled Uttar Pradesh, will re-enter Haryana on January 6, then head towards Punjab on January 11, where he will stay till January 20. After that, he is scheduled to spend a day in Himachal Pradesh on January 19, and then finally enter Jammu and Kashmir on January 20. 
The yatra, which started in Kanyakumari on September 7, has been on for 100 days and covered over 3,000 km so far. The Yatra has touched parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and Haryana.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is in charge of Uttar Pradesh, will join Gandhi during the yatra in the state. The brother-sister duo is scheduled to travel to Baghpat and then cover Mavi Kalan, Sisana, and Saroorpur. The Yatra will also touch Kairana and several areas of Shamli before entering Haryana. 

Delhi to Loni 

As per news reports, Gandhi will resume his march from Hanuman Temple in old Delhi and march towards Ghaziabad. All traffic will be barred between the Ghaziabad-Delhi border at Loni and the Ghaziabad-Baghpat border at Mandola. 

The Delhi Police has already issued a traffic advisory for commuters travelling in the north, east and north-eastern parts of Delhi to use public transport to avoid congestion.  

SP, BSP’s cold shoulder to Rahul Gandhi 

Opposition leaders in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party’s Mayawati have extended support to the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, and wished it to be a success. But both the leaders have reportedly chosen to miss the yatra. On Monday, Akhilesh tweeted Rahul and thanked him for inviting him to the yatra and wished it to be a success. 

"Thanks for inviting me to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. India is a feeling which is beyond geographical expansion, where there is love, non-violence, emotions, cooperation, and bonhomie -- the positive elements, which unite India. Hope that this yatra achieves its aim of conserving this inclusive culture,” he said. 

Mayawati tweeted on Monday and thanked Rahul for his invite to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra.  

“I extend my wishes to the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and thank Shri Rahul Gandhi for inviting me,” said Mayawati.

Earlier Rahul Gandhi had expressed hope that opposition leaders would join his mission and said that there is a connection with both the UP leaders in the journey against hatred. “Hatred and love are diametrically opposite...But many people want to spread love. I know Akhilesh ji and Mayawati ji don't want hatred," he had said.