Hours before the Bharat Jodo Yatra walked into Shamli district of BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday evening, the administration imposed prohibitory orders there without citing a reason.
Jasjeet Kaur, the district magistrate, told the media in the afternoon that prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC had been imposed in Shamli. Section 144 prevents any gathering of more than four persons.
After a night halt at Ailum village in Shamli, the Yatra is scheduled to resume on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the second day of the Yatra in the state, over 1,000 members of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Bharatiya Kisan Union and the Bhim Army walked with Rahul.
As did Prakashi Tomar, who became famous as “Shooter Dadi” when she took up shooting as a senior citizen and won over 25 national and international medals.
“I support Rahul’s mission to unite India,” Tomar said.
Rahul had gone back to Delhi on Tuesday night from Baghpat, where the Yatra had halted, because his mother Sonia Gandhi was unwell. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress general secretary in charge of the state, also travelled with him. Priyanka stayed back in Delhi, where Sonia has been admitted to hospital with a viral infection, while Rahul returned to resume the walk on Wednesday.
He addressed a public meeting amid dense fog in Badaut, which was shivering at 5 degrees Celsius.
Folk singer Neha Singh Rathaur and comedian Rajeev Nigam also walked with Rahul in the Yatra. Hazrat Maulana Osama, who identified himself as the head of Madrasa Osatiya in Mecca, joined in Baghpat and said: “We all should follow the path of Rahul to take India on the right path and save it from the politics of hatred.”
Five youths who had appeared for the Agniveer test four months ago for short-term recruitment in the army met Rahul in Sisani village and spoke to him for about 25 minutes.
Devilal Chaudhary, one of the youths, told reporters: “I have won many national and international awards in 100- metre race. I told Rahul that I was selected for Agniveer but the appointment was cancelled after a few days without any reason being cited. There are several thousand such youths who were selected and then their appointment was cancelled without any reason. Rahul said the Congress would scrap the Agniveer scheme and restart the process of recruitment of regular jawans in the forces.”
He also quoted Rahul as saying: “Nobody taught me the language of hatred, suppression and exploitation. I have learnt the language and politics of peace, harmony and respect for each other. I want others to understand its merits.”
Chaudhary added: “He said he wanted the youths to understand what was right for the country and what was wrong.”
Letter from Ayodhya
Mahant Satyendra Das, chief priest of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, has written a letter to Rahul supporting the Yatra and blessing him. “I have wished Rahul success in his Yatra and hope that Lord Ram will stand by him in his endeavour to make India an inclusive country. I wish that God helps him in his effort. Many sadhus of Ayodhya had met me and requested me to invite Rahul to Ayodhya with his Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Das said.
Ayodhya, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, is not on the route map of the Yatra that is travelling south to north, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. It is scheduled to pass through Shamli district on Thursday and reach the Haryana border by evening.
Das was made chief priest of the makeshift Ram temple when its lock was opened on the directive of a local court during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister. While some VHP leaders wanted Satyendra Das to be removed as the priest of the temple when the Hindus won the title suit in 2019, the BJP government decided not to change him.
