Srinagar: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi unfurled the national flag at the historic clock tower of Lal Chowk as part of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. He was accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party leaders from Jammu and Kashmir. The flag hoisting event was held amid stringent security measures usually reserved for a prime ministerial visit.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out similarities between the flag-hoisting ceremony of Rahul Gandhi at Lal Chowk to that of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru when he first hoisted the tricolour 75 years ago, after independence. "75 years ago, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the national flag for the first time at Lal Chowk. Today noon after the completion of the #BharatJodoYatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir @RahulGandhi unfurled the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar," he wrote on Twitter.
Earlier Rahul took a 30-minute break from the foot march at Sonawar and drove to the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters on Maulana Azad Road before heading to the clock tower. The security for the 10-minute event was at its peak as all roads leading to Lal Chowk had been sealed off from Saturday night and no vehicular movement was allowed. Shops, business establishments and the weekly flea market were closed as part of the security drill.
Rahul resumed his Yatra from the city's Panthachowk on Sunday. He began the yatra in his trademark white T-shirt along with his sister Priyanka. The Gandhis joined hundreds of Congress supporters, including women, who were seen carrying the tricolour and party flags.