The Congress on Friday said the Bharat Jodo Yatra, whose objective is to unite India, was also providing a platform to every aggrieved citizen to raise his or her voice and demand justice.

“A youth not getting a job, a farmer angry over inadequate prices for his crops, a woman struggling to run the household because of abnormally high prices, a small trader whose business was ruined by wrong policies like note-bandi… everybody is coming to walk for their own cause,” said Kanhaiya Kumar, young leader and a designated Bharat Yatri, while addressing a media conference in Maharashtra’s Nanded.

“The families of Rohit Vemula and Gauri Lankesh, who felt they didn’t get justice also joined,” Kumar added, explaining that the Yatra was political but not restricted to electoral ambitions.

“Winning elections is not our motive in this Yatra. This is a political exercise and its impact will definitely be felt on elections in the long run but our objective is noble. Rahulji is referring to tapasya… this Yatra is moving in the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March. Our struggle is to regain the soul of India, to give voice to people’s concerns,” he said.

Stressing that the Yatra was primarily an ideological battle against divisive politics, Kumar said: “We want social harmony; we want emotional and cultural bonding in the country. Geographical integrity is not enough; our hopes, our emotions should also be connected. Nobody should believe that they don’t matter anymore; the real concerns of the people are being deliberately knocked out of the national discourse with the help of mainstream media and WhatsApp university. We are listening to all kinds of people, sharing their pain and experiences.”

The Congress leadership has invested heavily in the Yatra and is convinced of a positive outcome. They believe the Yatra has created moral pressure on everybody, including the RSS-BJP, and that it will blunt the edge of divisive politics.

Kumar said: “Along with different sections of society, even media people can join us because the burden of hiding Narendra Modi’s misdeeds has fallen upon their shoulders. They know their jobs will be gone if they don’t oblige the ruling establishment. So they can join the Yatra to change the atmosphere.”

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh taunted Modi’s upcoming tour of southern states, tweeting: “The impact of Bharat Jodo Yatra is already being felt. Prime Minister is now on a two-day visit of South Indian states that the yatra has been through. There will undoubtedly be big photo-ops for the camera-jeevi. But no antics can match the connect from walking with and listening to the people.”

Rahul Gandhi said walking meant a unique experience that travel by air or car could not match. The Yatra has thrown up exceptional moments over the past 64 days.

On Thursday a boy managed to reach Rahul despite police barriers and jostling crowds.

During the conversation, he told Rahul about his ambition to become a software engineer. Rahul asked if he had seen a computer. The answer was no.

Narrating the experience at a rally on Thursday night, Rahul recounted having asked why the boy’s school did not have a computer.

Rahul said the government’s sole mission was to hand over all national assets to two-three industrialists instead of working for the poor. Rahul gifted a laptop to the boy on Friday morning.

Aaditya joins walk

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday walked with Rahul after the Yatra entered Hingoli district.

“Someone today said people with two different ideologies have come together. But working together for the country despite ideological differences itself is democracy,” Aaditya told PTI.

“An attempt to crush the Constitution and democracy is on in our state and in the country. Against this, we have come on the road. It is a good sign for our democracy,” he added.