Jammu, Jan 18 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY), would enter Jammu and Kashmir on January 19 as part of its final destination amid tight security measures in the Union Territory.
Congress insiders told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), grand welcome of Rahul Gandhi’s yatra is planned at Jammu and Kashmir’s enter gate Lakhanpur, near Maharaja Gulab Singh’s king-size statue around 4.00 pm in the evening, where Jammu and Kashmir’s prominent social and political leaders including two former chief ministers, Farooq Abdhullah and Mehaboob Mufti, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Member Parliament of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are likely to join the march.
Former Congress leader, Choudhary Lal Singh, who in 2014 quit the grand old party who was denied ticket in 2014, would also join BJY at Lakhanpur. The flag handover ceremony will also takes place at Lakhanpur.
Gandhi, who started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, would culminate the rally in Srinagar on January 30 after covering more than 3000 kilometers across the country.
Earlier, AICC J&K In-charge and Member Parliament Rajni Patil informed that BJY would enter Lakhanpur’s Kathua district of J&K from Punjab on January 19 at 4 pm.
“After the night halt at Hatli-morh Kathua, Rahul will lead the yatra from January 20 morning and take a night halt at Chadwal. January 21 will be the break day,” she said.
The rally will reach Jammu on January 23 and the party is planning a big rally in the city, for which required permission is awaited from the authorities. The yatra would remain in the Jammu region for over a week.
She further added that the yatra would enter Kashmir from Jawahar Tunnel on Srinagar-Jammu national highway on January 27.
The closing of the yatra would take place at Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium in Srinagar on January 30, where the party has planned a mega rally in which senior party leadership, chief ministers of Congress led states and heads of its allies among like- minded social and political persons will be present.
Meanwhile, the Director General of J&K Police Dilbagh Singh has said all security needs of the yatra will be taken care of and security will be ensured in every district.
“Whatever security measures are needed will be put in place for the yatra,” he said adding, “Yatra will be regulated to ensure that people don’t face inconveniences.”
