The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is at Delhi’s door after covering 3,000km from Kanyakumari on foot, will follow any Covid protocol in force in the country through its journey to Kashmir, the Congress said on Friday, while advising the Narendra Modi government not to try to use a disease for political trickery.

“Rahul Gandhi was the first person who wrote to the government alerting it to the Covid mayhem,” Kanhaiya Kumar, a Bharat Yatri, told a news conference in Faridabad — a reference to the Congress leader’s many public appeals starting February 2020 to take the virus threat seriously.

Even now, we will abide by any scientific protocol announced by the government. Hamara virodh Corona ke naam par kiye ja rahe raajnitik chaalbazi par hai (Our objection is to the political trickery being done in the name of Corona),” Kanhaiya added.

The Centre has asked Rahul to either suspend the Yatra or ensure that all Yatris are vaccinated, wear masks and isolate before and after joining the walk — rules not in force for travel anywhere in the country now. Although the purported reason is the rise in Covid count in China and other countries, the restrictions do not apply even to incoming travellers from those countries.

Kanhaiya referred to a wedding the Prime Minister attended without a mask. A video clip showed Modi at a wedding without a mask on Wednesday evening while he wore one to Parliament on Thursday morning. “We have seen this in the past too,” Kanhaiya said, recalling that during the Bengal elections in 2021, when the Delta variant was causing havoc, Narendra Modi had addressed crowded rallies without a mask on but had worn one when he sat alone in a room for an online meeting with chief ministers.

“Don’t use Covid to fool the people,” Kanhaiya said.

The government has made every attempt to defame the Yatra since it started on September 7, the Congress said, adding that the Centre was nervous now that it was to enter the national capital on Saturday and was trying to create the impression that Rahul wasn’t concerned about public health and was violating the Covid protocol.

Is there a Covid protocol in operation in the country now, the Congress asked.

The BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya had on Thursday tweeted a photograph of Modi and a few other ministers wearing masks in Parliament and written: “Leaders in public life must demonstrate a sense of responsibility unlike Rahul Gandhi and his band of cheerleaders who are defending his dud Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is flouting all Covid norms, despite their own Himachal CM testing positive and Rajasthan MPs complaining….”

In another tweet, he said: “Rahul Gandhi is a shining example of what an irresponsible leader looks like. He has no compunction putting people’s lives in peril provided his political agenda is fulfilled. People can die but he doesn’t care….”

On Friday, several BJP ministers and chief ministers were seen without masks at public events.

Kanhaiya said: “Initially, social media was flooded with questions on Rahul Gandhi’s commitment, whether he can walk, for how many days, and it was said he would fly abroad after a few days. Then a minister lied about Rahul Gandhi not visiting the Swami Vivekananda memorial at Kanyakumari. Dozens of lies and trivial controversies followed about shoes, T-shirts, containers, visits to religious places and women. When nothing worked, they are now raising the Corona excuse. But they should remember Corona bahana nahin hai, beemari hai (Covid is not an excuse, it is a disease).”

The Congress also took on the RSS-BJP ecosystem’s campaign that the Yatra would take a break from December 25 to January 2 so that Rahul could go abroad.

While messages have been doing the rounds on social media, on Friday parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi told the media: “Rahul didn’t attend Parliament session for a single day but is stopping the Bharat Jodo Yatra to go abroad.”

“Bilkul bakwas (utter nonsense),” Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh responded. “ If he is proved right, I will apologise publicly. If he is proven wrong, will he apologise?” Ramesh asked.

Kanhaiya went further and asked why there should be outrage if Yatris who have spent over 100 days away from home take a break with their families. The Congress, when it was in power, brought the eight hour day and five-day week for workers, he recalled.

“What is wrong with taking a holiday? What is wrong with doing your duty towards your nation and doing your duty towards your family?” he asked. Fulfilling your duties towards your family is a social responsibility, he added.

“Only those who have abandoned their families can see fulfilling family responsibilities as amoral,” Kanhaiya said.

The Congress leader also confronted criticism of the party’s performance in elections, pointing out that it had won in Himachal Pradesh, one of the two states that went to the polls. He recalled that the Congress had won elections in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka too but its governments were toppled.

Election results are the people’s verdict on five years of work, he said. But in television studios now, politicians and anchors “shamelessly” say after the results: “The real game will begin now. What game will begin? Once the people have given their verdict, given a majority? This shamelessness is unfolding before our eyes,” he said.

The Yatra is scheduled to enter the nation’s capital at Badarpur on Saturday morning and break for the day at Ashram. It will resume at 1pm and cross the heart of Delhi via India Gate and ITO to reach the Red Fort. The Yatris will then head home and return on January 3 to resume their walk through Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab to reach Jammu and Kashmir by the month-end.