Ludhiana (Punjab): Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra will pause on Thursday afternoon to enable the participants and leaders to enjoy the Punjabi festival Lohri. Earlier in the day, the Yatra resume from Khanna in Ludhiana. The yatra will reach Samrala Chowk in the city via Doraha, Sahnewal, and Dhandari.
Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu will also accompany Rahul Gandhi in the Yatra. The yatra will conclude at Samrala Chowk at noon and there will be no evening leg today. After addressing the public in Samrala Chowk, Rahul Gandhi will leave for Delhi at 3 pm.
The participants will take a break on January 13 owing to Lohri festivities and will resume on January 14. The yatra entered into Punjab on Wednesday. The participants paid obeisance at the Gurudwara in Fatehgarh Sahib. The Congress leaders of Haryana handed over the Indian flag to the Congress leaders of Punjab in Sirhind following to mark the Punjab leg beginning.
While addressing the public in Sirhind on Wednesday, Rahul slammed BJP and RSS and said, "BJP and RSS are pitting people against each other in the name of caste and religion. We have started a journey for peace and love among people. This yatra will convey the message of unity."
Also read: Congress invites 21 'like-minded parties' to Bharat Jodo Yatra's final event in Srinagar
Meanwhile, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, leader of radical Sikh organisation 'Sikhs for Justice' (SFJ), released an audio threatening Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's for his visit to the Golden Temple. In the audio Pannu reminded the "Gandhi-Nehru" family of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in which scores from the community were killed.
Pannu in the audio note said, "whoever attacked the Darbar Sahib, his race has been wiped out, only Rahul Gandhi is alive." He also said that the SFJ will take the help of Kashmiri fighters to oppose Rahul Gandhi. "They are planning Rahul Gandhi's journey from Amritsar to Srinagar. Rahul Gandhi will not be allowed to hoist the tricolor at Lal Chowk," he claimed.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, is currently in Punjab after passing through 10 states and the Union Territory of Delhi and covering over 3,570 km. The yatra is scheduled to conclude on January 30 in Srinagar where Rahul Gandhi will hoist the Indian Flag.
