DMK chief MK Stalin to attend the launch of Bharat Jodo Yatra by Rahul Gandhi in Kanyakumari on Sept 7

DMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, along with his cabinet colleagues and party supporters, will attend the launch of the Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra on September 7 in Kanyakumari.

Stalin will hand over the national flag to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the occasion, as per sources in Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress.

As per the source, Stalin will join Rahul Gandhi at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial and flag off the nationwide Yatra which will culminate in Jammu and Kashmir after passing through 12 states and two Union Territories.

Rahul Gandhi will address a massive rally before the Yatra at 5 PM, the Congress said.

No party flag – either of the Congress party or of the DMK – will be allowed to be displayed in the Yatra. Only the national flag will be distributed and carried by the participants, said a Tamil Nadu Congress leader, who pointed out that the purpose of the yatra was to “heal the wounds, bridge the gap between communities and listen to the people”.

This will be the second occasion when Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin will share the stage. In February this year, Rahul Gandhi attended a book launch ceremony in Chennai with the DMK chief and other Congress leaders.

Observers believe that Stalin’s presence at the launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra assumes significance as it demonstrates the “strong ties” between the two anti-BJP forces.

It is worth recalling here that Stalin recently said that the DMK will not make “even the slightest compromise” in ideological terms with the BJP.

Leaders of the Congress party maintained that the Yatra “is meant for peace”.

117 Congress leaders including Kanhaiya Kumar and Pawan Khera have been asked to reach Kanyakumari a day before the Yatra.

Senior Congress leader and chief of the organizing committee, Digvijaya Singh told the media that the march will start on the morning of September 8, and participants will walk for 6 to 7 hours every day.

“Participants will hold mass contact with people across the country,” said Digvijaya Singh, who had undertaken Narmada Parikrama Yatra before the last Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress party has already said during the march, Rahul Gandhi will “listen a lot and speak less” in order to understand the problems faced by the people.

The Yatra, which was finalized after a consultation with the members of the civil society in Delhi last week, was planned around four months ago.

As per analysts, the Yatra may prove a turning point for the Congress ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls as it will help the grand old party to reach out to the masses on the ground which may eventually turn the political fortune of the party.