Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab), Jan 11,2023: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, spearheading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Wednesday said the march was against the politics of fear and hatred promoted by the BJP and the RSS, and their attempt to divide India on the lines of religion, caste and language.

“That is not our history”, he said, “our history is of love, mutual brotherhood and unity among people”.

Addressing a public meeting before beginning the Punjab leg of the march, Gandhi said he felt humbled to have visited the site of the martyrdom of the two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh, who chose to lay down their lives in the fight against injustice and intolerance.

He also thanked the people and the party workers for participating in the yatra so early in the morning despite the biting cold.

Drawing a clear, ideological distinction between the BJP and the Congress, Gandhi said, “while they (BJP) practice the politics of hatred, violence and fear, we practice the politics of love, unity and brotherhood”.

Gandhi said in the journey of about 3,000 km so far, he had met diverse sections of the people, including farmers, traders, small shopkeepers, labourers, unemployed youth and students. “The purpose of this yatra is to listen to people rather than telling our own point of view.”

Former Aam Aadmi Party MP from Patiala, Dharamvir Gandhi, and film actress Jonita Dhoda also joined the yatra.

Gandhi also interacted later with senior ex-servicemen and a panel of Punjabi historians, economists, sociologists, and agricultural experts.

He was on the 117th day of the Bharat Jodo Yatra that began in Kanyakumari on September 7, 2022, and will culminate with the hoisting of the tricolour in Srinagar on January 30.