A week after Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka, the walkathon is gaining momentum in the state. On Friday, October 7, Kavitha Lankesh, filmmaker and sister of late journalist Gauri Lankesh, joined the Yatra. She was also accompanied by her mother Indira. Rahul Gandhi also met with educational activists in the state who are opposed to the changes in the textbooks made by the BJP government.
The activists include Sripad Bhat and Niranjan Aaradhya who had strongly and consistently opposed the saffronisation of textbooks. The protest had finally led to the Karnataka government revising some of the portions. As the Yatra passes through various districts, Rahul Gandhi has made it a point to interact with people. TNM spoke to a few citizens he interacted with in the state in the past few days.
On September 30, when the Yatra entered the state, Rahul Gandhi interacted with family members of COVID-19 victims who died on May 3, 2021, due to oxygen shortage. During the interaction, Gandhi promised jobs and compensation to the family of the victims. Sunita, who lost her husband due to the oxygen shortage at the Chamarajanagar Government Hospital told TNM, “My husband was the sole bread earner of the family. I have two kids to feed and if I get a job, I can earn and look after my kids.”
“My husband used to take care of my family, and now we have no one to rely on. Rahul Gandhi said that he’ll help us with jobs and children’s education. He said to wait until the upcoming elections and that he will do the needful once the election results are out. Government has to change for big changes to reflect,” she said.
Gauri stood for Truth
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 7, 2022
Gauri stood for Courage
Gauri stood for Freedom
I stand for Gauri Lankesh and countless others like her, who represent the true spirit of India.
Bharat Jodo Yatra is their voice.
It can never be silenced. pic.twitter.com/TIpMIu36nY
On the same day, Rahul Gandhi also held an interaction on hate speech where he met with various artists, theatre persons, writers, and media persons in Karnataka’s Nanjangud. Preethi Nagaraj, a journalist, who was also present at the interaction told TNM that Rahul Gandhi spoke about the psychological aspect of why hate speech is there. “He said that hate speech stems from fear,” said Preethi. He also told the audience that he is not bothered by the image of him the ruling party has created.
Asked why it is important to talk to a politician about hate speech, Preethi said it is the only mode of communication you are receiving. “When polarisation is becoming so sharp, it is important to address hate speech,” she said. Preethi feels that though artists and writers were against Congress when they were tyrannical, the same set of people has come around thinking that politically the party has some level of maturity. “The Congress is willing to open up to a large section of society about various aspects,” said Preethi.
On October 1, Rahul Gandhi met with members of the Soliga tribal community. They told him that despite the state government’s recommendation for special reservation as a primitive tribe, the Union government has not ratified it yet. Speaking to the community members, Rahul Gandhi said there is nothing "primitive" or "backward" about the tribal communities of our nation. “In many ways, they are more advanced than modern society. We must do more to preserve their culture and knowledge,” he said.
On October 2, he paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary and said while it is convenient for those in power to appropriate the legacy of the Father of the Nation, it is difficult to walk in his footsteps. Rahul, who visited a Khadi Gramodyog Kendra in Badanavalu in Karnataka that Mahatma Gandhi had visited in 1927 and 1932, said the ideology that killed the freedom fighter has fostered inequality and divisiveness in the last eight years.
The Yatra which entered Karnataka through the Gundlupet town of Chamarajanagar district would cover 511 km over a period of 21 days before it crosses over to Telangana
On October 6, Thursday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined Bharat Jodo Yatra in Pandavapura in the Mandya district of Karnataka where she walked beside her son Rahul Gandhi. A number of senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, walked along with the Gandhis as the Yatra resumed after a two-day break.