Srinagar: It’s not just Rahul Gandhi who appears unaffected by the cold as he marches wearing only a T-shirt in his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Former Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah joined him in Banihal on Friday clad in a white T-shirt when the temperature was hovering around 2-3 degrees Celsius.
Abdullah, who is three months older than Rahul, was seen in trousers, a white Polo T-shirt, and a winter cap, his only defence against the cold waves. This time, Rahul was also seen wearing a woolen cap.
From Banihal, the yatra moved forward to enter Kashmir. Rahul’s white T-shirts have become the subject of a political debate, with Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak even wondering, “Wo kaun se jeevanu hain jise thand nahin lagti?” (How can he not feel cold in such weather conditions?).
However, the Bharat Jodo Yatra was hindered due to an alleged security lapse because of which Rahul Gandhi had to travel in a car after Qazigund. He was earlier supposed to walk that route.
Various parts of Kashmir are currently witnessing snowfall as well. While Omar decided to welcome Rahul Gandhi in the Kashmir Valley, it was his father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah who welcomed the yatra in Jammu. “The Bharat Jodo Yatra is not aimed at improving the image of Rahul Gandhi but for improving the situation in the country,” Omar told reporters, adding that he has not joined this for the image of an individual but for the county’s portrayal as a whole.
The Congress and the National Conference were last in alliance in 2019 for the Lok Sabha elections. The National Conference won all three seats in the Kashmir Valley, while the Congress party failed to win any of the two seats in Jammu region.
Rahul Gandhi has walked over 3,500 km since he started the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari. It will end on 30 January with the hoisting of the tricolour at the party headquarters in Delhi.
On the way, many prominent personalities and leaders from the DMK, the Shiv Sena, the NCP and Kamal Hassan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam, and many other parties with which the Congress is in an alliance joined the BJY. The Congress had invited the Janata Dal (United), but Nitish Kumar’s party had decided not to join. Earlier, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party had also decided to stay away.
After a successful leg in Jammu, the yatra was halted in Ramban on Wednesday due to bad weather. After a day’s rest, the yatra continued on Friday from Banihal and entered the Valley. Bharat Jodo Yatra will be in the Kashmir valley for the next two days, before a mega culmination rally on 30 January.
(Edited by Tarannum Khan)
Also read: “We never raised questions on surgical strikes…”: Omar Abdullah