Pawan Khera and Manish Khanduri
Yesterday morning the #BharatJodoYatra crossed from Hingoli to Washim district and the walk was remarkable for the assembled crowds that thronged the roadside, and not the least, the welcome committee that greeted the Yatris on the bridge across the river Painganga.
The Yatris were joined by by members of Mahanirdhar Project, a group of young people from various regions of the state. The Yatris walked approximately 14 kilometres, starting from Phalegaon, Hingoli and ending at their midday designation in Anjankhed, Washim
Today being the occasion of Birsa Munda Jayanti, there was an address to mark the occasion in the afternoon. In a charged address Congress MP Rahul Gandhi told “Birsa Munda sacrificed his life of India at the age of 24. Compare that to the BJP/RSS icon Veer Sadvarkar who after two or three years in prison wrote letters to the British authorities to forgive him.”
Post the address, the Yatris traveled around 10 kilometres to their evening halt at Vasantrao Naik Chauk in Washim. In the evening session, Yatris were joined by members of the Banjara samaj, a very diverse group that had a surgeon, a priest and four women, including a principal and representative from the Cooperative sector!
Speaking at the corner meeting at the end of the day, Rahul Gandhi told the assembled crowds that it was the desire of every youth to acquire gainful employment but “In this India and this Maharastra, the youth cannot get employment.”
Currently in the state of Maharastra, the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a five month, 3500 kilometre long Padyatra from Kanyakumari in the South of India to Kashmir up in the North. It is part of the party’s national mass outreach program aimed at highlighting social polarisation, economic inequalities and political centralisation.
Ground research: Aparna Ashwarya (INC Communications Department research team)
End of Day Travel Facts
1. District name: Hingoli
2. Hingoli district is the birthplace of famous Marathi writer, F.M Shinde.
3. Hingoli is well known for its educational institutions.
4. Aundha Naganath, one of the 12 jyotirlingas is located in Hingoli district making it an important pilgrimage destinations for Hindus.
5. Washim Taluka is the largest cotton-producing area in Maharashtra and is also the largest producer of sorghum along with the Malegaon and Mangrulpir areas.
6. Washim district is well known for its famous pilgrimage sites, including the Venkateswara Balaji Temple.
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