New Delhi: The Congress’ mass outreach programme “Bharat Jodo Yara” – helmed by leader Rahul Gandhi – is now passing through Rajasthan.
Photographs on social media show large crowds, almost a sea of people, “participating” in the walk that started from Kanyakumari on 7 September and will end in Kashmir in two months.
“Pictures can speak #BharatJodoYatra,” the party’s national coordinator Ritu Choudhary said on Twitter. Her post got 769 likes and was shared nearly 150 times.
तस्वीरें बोलती हैं ❤️#BharatJodoYatra pic.twitter.com/1DAsgj5kNm
— Ritu Choudhary (@RituChoudhryINC) December 7, 2022
The Congress’ official Telangana handle also shared the images on Twitter of the thousands who supposedly welcomed the Yatra in Rajasthan, as did party secretary Ramkishan Ojha.
Ojha said: “A huge crowd gathered to welcome Mr. Rahul Gandhi, the future of India at Chanwali in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan. The whole of Rajasthan is with Mr. Rahul ji in this fight to eradicate hatred and build a better India with love and brotherhood.”
#राजस्थान के झालावाड़ जिले के चंवली में हिंदुस्तान के भविष्य श्री @RahulGandhi जी के स्वागत में उमड़ा विशाल जनसमूह।
नफरत मिटाकर प्रेम और भाईचारा युक्त एक बेहतर हिंदुस्तान बनाने की इस लड़ाई में पूरा राजस्थान श्री राहुलजी के साथ है। #भारत_जोड़ो_संग_म्हारो_राजस्थान@INCRajasthan pic.twitter.com/uDqUPM6yOK
— Ramkishan Ojha (@RamkishanO) December 7, 2022
Factcheck
The staggering horde of people was not at the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, but at a meeting by Pankaj ji Maharaj, who appears to be an Uttar Pradesh godman.
जयगुरुदेव 3 dec 2022
पूज्य दादा गुरु महाराज के पावन भंडारे के कार्यक्रम में उमड़ा आस्था का महा मानव जन सैलाब pic.twitter.com/czBloXNBpo
— pankaj ji mahraaj (@mahraajpankaj) December 3, 2022
The religious gathering is from 3 December in Mathura’s Gaurav Ashram. The high resolution version of the images show no Congress flags being waved, nor the tricolour – a clear departure from how the Yatra functions. Instead, people are holding up white flags which say “gurudev”.
As of Thursday, the march was in Kota and Gandhi was seen walking alongside Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his colleague Sachin Pilot.
Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing journey through India has been positioned by the party to endear him to citizens, and to soften the criticism that he is a privileged dynast inaccessible to people.
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