Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi hoists national flag at Charminar

HYDERABAD: As part of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hoisted the national flag at Charminar, the monument which symbolises Hyderabad.

Accompanied by party leaders and hundreds of party workers and supporters, he paid tributes to his late father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and unfurled the national flag.

The event was organised in commemoration of Rajiv Gandhi's visit to Charminar on October 19, 1990 to launch Sadbhavana Yatra for communal peace and harmony in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Every year, the Congress organises Sadbhavana Yatra commemoration day at Charminar and presents awards to personalities working for peace and communal harmony.

As soon as Rahul Gandhi reached the monument from Laad Bazar road, he stopped for a few moments to take a look at the edifice and captured its beauty in his camera before moving forward.

Hundreds of Congress workers converged around Charminar to welcome the party leader and raised slogans of 'Jodo Jodo, Bharat Jodo' and 'Rajiv Gandhi Amar Rahe' when Rahul Gandhi was offering floral tributes at the portrait of his late father.

Telangana unit President A. Revanth Reddy, senior leader V. Hanumanth Rao, Anjan Kumar Yadav and other leaders were present. After the brief programme at Charminar, the yatra continued its journey through the historic Pathergatti market.

Gandhi was seen waving at people who had lined up either side of the road to welcome him. After passing through some busy areas of the party, Bharat Jodo Yatra will reach Necklace Road on the banks of Hussain Sagar lake, which divides twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

The Congress MP will garland the statue of his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Necklace Road and address a corner meeting. Congress leader and incharge for Telangana Manickam Tagore said Gandhi will also pay tributes to former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, whose Samadhi is located at Necklace Road.

Earlier, the yatra entered Hyderabad on Tuesday morning. After covering Narayanpet, Mahabubnagar and Rangareddy districts, the yatra reached the state capital on the seventh day of its journey in Telangana. The Congress MP, along with other party leaders and workers, resumed the walkathon from Matha temple at Shamshabad on the city outskirts and entered the city through Bengaluru-Hyderabad highway.

The yatra had a halt at Bahadurpura, where Rahul Gandhi met various groups including women, representatives of transgenders and civil society organisations. Later, the yatra resumed at 4 p.m. and reached Charminar through Puranapul, Hussaini Alam and Khilwat roads.

Police have made elaborate security arrangements for the yatra. They have imposed restrictions on movement of traffic on the yatra route. Gandhi will have a night halt at Gandhi Ideology Centre at Bowenpally in Secunderabad.

The yatra will continue in Telangana till November 7 with one-day break on November 4. It will cover a total distance of 375 km in 19 Assembly and 7 Parliamentary constituencies in the state.