Emphasising the significance of its forthcoming 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the Congress on Tuesday said the country "badly needed" such a programme as destructive forces were very active now-a-days and were "patronised" by the BJP-led government at the Centre.

As India is passing through a crucial time when divisive and communal forces are active with a mission to divide it on religious basis, the party, which had fought against the British and was responsible for the independence of the nation, cannot sit idle or remain a mute spectator. Addressing the party workers and leaders at Indira Bhavan, the party headquarters here, Tariq Anwar, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Kerala, said that it had been decided during the recent Udaypur 'Chintan Shivir' that the party should organise a big programme to connect with the people and strongly oppose the ideology of divisive forces, floated by the ruling BJP and RSS.

"As India is a peculiar nation with people of different castes, religions and communities living together, this type of "divisive politics" or "conspiracy" would weaken the country," he said.

"So, we think, Bharat Jodo is the need of the hour.. it is badly needed. Because destructive forces are very much active now-a-days. And, we are sorry to say that these forces are actually patronised by our union government," Anwar said. So, the Congress has decided to come forward and convince the entire country by conducting a padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

He was speaking after inaugurating the coordination committee office under the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in connection with the Yatra in the state.

"Rahul Gandhi will lead the yatra.. He decided to walk across the entire country and reach out to the people and convince them that this is not the right path of the country," the leader said. The Congress, earlier this month, had announced that it would launch from September 7 Kanyakumari to Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in which party workers and leaders including Rahul Gandhi will participate.

The padayatra (foot march) covering 12 states and two Union Territories will be about 3,500-km long and will be completed in about 150 days.

The party also appealed to all those wanting to be part of a gigantic national endeavour to provide an alternative to the 'politics of fear, bigotry and prejudice' and to the economics of livelihood destruction, increasing unemployment and growing inequalities, to participate in the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra.'