By Pawan Khera and Manish Khanduri
If the send off by Karnataka yesterday set new standards in terms of crowd participation, the entry of the #BharatJodoYatra into Telengana today gave it a new impetus and promised an exciting time ahead.
There was a large crowd that eagerly waited for the yatra; and as the Yatris entered Telengana they were greeted by slogans, music and beating drums. Present to welcome the Yatris were PCC president Revanth Reddy, and MP Uttam Kumar Reddy.
But this time we will let the the Yatris themselves describe the experience of entering Telengana.
For Santhosh Kolkunda, Yatri, this was literally a homecoming. “I’m entering my home state and I cannot describe the feeling,” he said, “The bridge across the Krishna river which separates Karnataka and Telengana was wonderfully decorated, and it was like a festival.” He added “All our state leaders were there to greet Rahul Gandhi and the Yatris.”
Santhosh Kolkunda, Yatri- “I cannot describe this joyous feeling of entering my home state of Telengana”
Arti Nimrohi, Yatri, says that “As we entered Telengana at 8:30AM today it felt like we were walking into a beautiful landscape with warm and gracious people. We are thankful to the people for giving us such a warm welcome.”
Arti Nimrohi (centre): “We are thankful to the people of Telengana for such a warm welcome”
Zeeshan Ahmed, Inter State Yatri, after witnessing the huge crowd and the welcoming scenes, describes it as an “emotional moment that he will never forget.”
Zeeshan Ahmed, entering Telengana is “an emotional moment that I will never forget”
The Yatris took their morning break at Ground Tai road, Gudebellur. After the end of the morning session, the Yatra will pause for the Diwali holidays, to resume on Oct 27th from Mahbubnagar district in Telangana.
We leave Yatri Devendra Nisad with the last word. “Observing the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd it was clear that the people of Telengana want to be free of hatred, divisiveness, unemployment and rising prices that are the legacy of this BJP government.”
Devendra Nisad (centre); with the last word. “Observing the crowd it was clear that Telengana wants to be free of hatred, divisiveness, unemployment and rising prices that are the legacy of this BJP government”
Currently in the state of Telengana, 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)
Midday Travel Facts
1. Current District Name – Mahbubnagar
2. The district is famous for its ancient temples and historical structures. Pillalamari, a 700 years old Banyan tree, is a major attraction for tourists.
3. It is believed that the famous Golconda diamonds including the “Kohinoor Diamond” came from this region.
4. Mahabubnagar was an important centre during the Quit India movement and the integration of Hyderabad into the Indian Union
5. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, the great freedom fighter and First elected Chief Minister of Hyderabad was born in Mahabubnagar. He was was an active participant in the Quit India movement as well as instrumental in bringing Hyderabad into the Indian Union.