Bharat Jodo Yatra: After speech in pouring rain, Rahul Gandhi visits temple, church and mosque; Sonia to join march

A day after his much talked-about speech in Mysuru amid heavy downpour, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday reached out to members of Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities on day four of the Karnataka leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra. 

Gandhi started the 26th day of his Bharat Jodo Yatra at the crack of dawn and walked through the streets of the old Mysuru town, which was decked up for the famous 10-day Dasara celebrations, and reached Mandya.

People lined up on both sides of the road to welcome Gandhi and chanted slogans hailing the Congress leader during the yatra that has covered over 600 km in its Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala legs. 

“Equality of religion and religious harmony is the foundation for India’s peaceful and progressive future,” Rahul tweeted. The tweet contained a collage of pictures of his visits to the famous Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hills, Masjid-e-Azam and the St Philomena’s Cathedral. Prayers were offered at all three places of worship.

सर्वधर्म समभाव, सर्वधर्म सद्भाव - भारत के शांतिपूर्ण व प्रगतिशील भविष्य की नींव है। pic.twitter.com/YR1KvTTKGO

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 3, 2022

In Mysuru, the yatra moved as a colourful procession amid beating of drums, with artistes in traditional costumes walking with Congress leaders and workers to match the town's festive spirit.

Gandhi had on Sunday night addressed a public gathering in Mysuru amid torrential rains and continued his speech even while he was drenched.

Hundreds of people raised pro-Congress slogans as Gandhi addressed them amid heavy rains and asserted that nothing can "stop us to unite the country" through the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Soon after Gandhi arrived at the venue for the public meeting on the outskirts of Mysuru, a sudden burst of rain greeted him and the gathering. As the Wayanad MP chose to continue his speech, the crowds cheered for him, even as many were seen holding up chairs to ward off the torrential rain.

There will be a two-day break in the yatra after which he will be entering the historic town of Srirangapatna on Thursday, from where Tipu Sultan once ruled. Tipu Sultan's mausoleum is located in this city.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has arrived in Mysuru, will also be participating in the yatra on Thursday.

On Durga Ashtami on Monday, Rahul Gandhi visited the Chamundeshwari temple atop Chamundi hills. Goddess Chamundeshwari is the tutelary deity of the Mysuru royalty and the presiding deity of Mysuru for several centuries.

In a tweet in Hindi after visiting the temple, Gandhi said, "Religious harmony is the foundation of India's peaceful and progressive future".

He said his yatra is against price rise and unemployment and is about justice, compassion and equanimity.

"Be it a temple or mosque, church or gurdwara, all give only one message - love, compassion, peace and brotherhood. Our country is a confluence of various religions, languages and cultures. This is the beauty of India and this diversity is our country's strength.

"Today when this strength of our country is under attack, we have to save our dear India. Bharat Jodo Yatra is for every religion, every class, every child, elderly, woman and youth. Come, let us together unite our India," he also said in a Facebook post in Hindi.

While the former Congress president declared his resolve to unite India through his journey, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday hailed the Wayanad MP's rain-soaked moment in Mysuru as "the defining moment of the yatra."

Political experts not only see Bharat Jodo Yatra as the Congress's biggest attempt towards elecotral revival ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, but also a move aimed at taking up Rahul Gandhi's political graph.