Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called his Bharat Jodo Yatra as 'Mohabbat ka dukaan' (shop of love) amid an existing 'nafrat ka bazaar' (market of hatred) while responding to BJP leaders who questioned him for conducting the ongoing Kanyakumari to Kashmir foot-march.
"I am opening 'Mohabbat ka dukaan' (a shop of love) in 'nafrat ka bazaar' (the market of hatred). This is my response to BJP leaders who ask why I am doing this yatra," Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said in Alwar, Rajasthan on Monday.
Rahul was addressing a rally when a chance gesture of love from an attendee caused him to digress and he said that while on his over 100-day long march he has often come across BJP leaders on rooftops in several towns and cities viewing his padayatra.
Often they would gesture to him asking "what are you doing?", Rahul Gandhi said that they would often force him to ponder on "what exactly he was doing -- walking, meeting people, joining people, reaching out", but finally on Monday he could come up with his exact response.
The former Congress president said that his "mohabbat ka dukaan" is, however, not something new as all Congress leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sadar Patel, BR Ambedkar and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had also done the same opening "shops of love" amid "vast markets of hatred" during the freedom struggle from the British rule.
Rahul Gandhi also said he has no animosity towards the BJP leaders. He may disagree with their views but he likes all of them. He said while those BJP leaders who now view him from rooftops may not be allowed to even wave at him, they will one day for sure join his path of love as that is what India and its faith and religion were all about -- "love".
"You may hate me and badmouth me, your market sells hatred while my shop sells love," said the Congress leader.
Recalling the contribution made by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sadar Ballabhbhai Patel, BR Ambedkar, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in India's freedom struggle, Gandhi said, "All of them had also opened their shop of love in the market of hatred. That is what we do."
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress claimed as the longest foot march by any leader in independent India. The Yatra, currently in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, will be leaving the state within the next two days.
The yatra will reach Delhi from Haryana on December 24, where it will be welcomed at the Badarpur border by all prominent Congress leaders.
It will start from Delhi's Badarpur Metro station on December 24 at 6 am and reach Ashram Chowk at 10.30 am. There will be a lunch break at Ashram Chowk and will resume from there at 1.30 pm will go from Mathura Road to India Gate and ITO and will finally reach Red Fort and end with Rahul Gandhi's address.
After a break of nine days, the yatra will resume on January 3 from Delhi itself.
( With inputs from ANI )
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