Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to the heads of 21 like-minded parties for participation in the concluding event of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Srinagar on January 30, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a product of the ideology of hate and violence.

Contending that the Yatra, which has already covered over 3,300km across the country with the message of harmony and equality, had become a powerful voice of the people, Kharge said: “At this event, we will commit ourselves to fighting hatred and violence, to spread the message of truth, compassion and non-violence, and to defend the constitutional values of liberty, equality, fraternity and justice for all.”

Although some of the 21 parties had earlier refused to take part in the Yatra, the Congress intends to turn the January 30 event into a major political milestone in the fight against RSS-BJP dominance.

The Yatra entered Punjab on Wednesday morning to a grand welcome after completing its Haryana stretch. Kharge wrote in his letter: “Today, India faces an economic, social and political crisis. At this time, when the Opposition’s voice is being suppressed in Parliament and the media, the Yatra is connecting directly with lakhs of people. We have discussed the grave issues affecting our nation — inflation, unemployment, social divisions, weakening of democratic institutions and the threat on our borders.”

He added: “All sections of society have also participated and shared their problems — youth, women and elderly; farmers, labourers, small businessmen and industrialists; Dalits, Adivasis, and religious and linguistic minorities; activists, artistes and spiritual leaders. This direct conversation with the people has been a major achievement of the Yatra.”

Kharge took care to mention that the concluding event is dedicated to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. One of the symptoms of the socio-political malaise that has been regularly noticed now is the tendency to hail Godse as a patriot.

At a ceremony in Sirhind after entering Punjab, Rahul Gandhi said: “We were told the Yatra will get a good response in Kerala but fizzle out in BJP-ruled Karnataka. We got a massive response in Karnataka. Then they said it will fail in Maharashtra. Maharashtra was better. Then they said the Hindi heartland will ignore the Yatra. Madhya Pradesh was even better. Then Haryana surpassed all the states. This is happening because India wants peace and harmony.”