Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday launched its Bharat Jodo Yatra from the Indira Gandhi maidan in Bhubaneswar, where Indira Gandhi delivered her last speech.

She had spoken about giving her last drop of blood for the country’s unity.

Paying tributes to Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary, the leaders embarked on the Bharat Joda Yatra led by PCC president Sarat Pattanayak. AICC general secretary and Odisha in-charge Dr A. Chella Kumar launched the Yatra, which is a part of the Congress’s national campaign for the country’s unity launched by Rahul Gandhi.

Senior Congress leader Manas Choudury said: “Choice of the place is very important for us. Indira delivered her speech talking about national integration on October 31, 1984. She was killed for national integration. The Congress is working on the same ideals and principles.”

Earlier, the place was a barren field where there used to be public meetings, now its sprawling garden, named after Indira Gandhi.

On the first day of the Yatra more than 6000 people turned up to join it. The Yatra will cover 25 districts in the state covering 2,250km in 100 days. On being asked whether they would be able to cover the distance, a Congress leader said: “You see when Congress launched its Yatra to connect with the masses on September 7, no one had thought it would cover such a long journey. The Bharat Yoda Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi has covered more than 1,400 km. Taking a cue from it, our leaders are also determined to complete the Yatra in Odisha successfully.”

Whether the journey would bring the Congress back to power in Odisha in 2024 is a tough question to answer but the Congress leaders are hopeful that the Yatra would enable them again to connect with the masses and bring the dormant Congress back to life.

Pattanayak said: “Like the BJP, the Naveen Patnaik government has also failed in providing employment to the people of the state.”

Through the Yatra, the party would seek to focus popular attention on various burning issues facing the country today.

It will draw public attention on price rise, growing unemployment, inflation, law and order, and the growing intolerance.

However, because of the Dahmanagar bypoll on November 3, there will be no Yatra for the next two days. It would resume after that. On Monday, it covered a distance of 15km.