Rahul Gandhi claimed RSS-BJP officials who were questioning the necessity of the Bharat Jodo Yatra would find out if they walked for five minutes among the general populace.

“Fear permeates every area. Worry over the politics of hatred and fear over the future are both valid emotions. Young people are afraid due to unemployment, while farmers are afraid due to low prices. The RSS-BJP uses this fear to support their politics of hatred, said Rahul during a gathering in Shegaon, Maharashtra.

At the gathering, Tushar Gandhi, Rahul’s walking companion, stated, “Narendra Modi covers the slums with cloth to avoid the repulsive look. Rahul supports those in need.

A true leader is capable of empathising with the plight of the underprivileged. Bapu could relate to their suffering. Today as Rahul Gandhi and I walked, I noticed the same thing. I never thought I’d get to experience this in my lifetime.

Over the past two months, a number of Yatris have used Gandhi’s Dandi March as an example.

“Rate nahin milta (We don’t get the right price for our crops). Tang aa gaya hun ye sunkar (I am frustrated hearing this). Every single farmer tells me the same thing. They ask me why farmers should commit suicide for debts of Rs 50,000 or Rs 1 lakh when corporate loans worth lakhs of crores are written off by the government.

The wealthy must take the poor’s advice. Rahul, who has travelled more than 2,000 kilometres and encountered numerous people since beginning his journey in Kanyakumari on September 7 and remarked, “This is not the time for Mann Ki Baat,” said, “Mann Ki Baat is not the moment.

In the midst of a heated controversy in Maharashtra over his remarks regarding Sangh icon V.D. Savarkar, Rahul maintained the focus on the financial struggles of the poor, which have not yet been a topic of discussion in the nation.

“The Bharat Jodo Yatra is doing what the great icons and saints of Maharashtra taught us. Shivaji Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, Sahuji Maharaj, Ambedkar, Holkar, Gadge Maharaj, Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, Shirdi Saibaba… there is a long list.

Maharashtra is known as a nation of reformers. None of these wonderful individuals ever taught us to spread prejudice. We learned love and unity from all of them,” Rahul remarked. Savarkar had promoted a limited political agenda designed to portray Muslims as the “other.”

In the past two days, the local media has emphasised Rahul’s remarks that Savarkar implored the British government to continue to be his “obedient servant” in a bid for clemency.

Ashok Chavan, Nana Patole, and Balasaheb Thorat, leaders of the Maharashtra Congress, remarked about the significance of the Yatra and claimed that no other current politician could have undergone it. They praised Rahul’s compassion, saying that he met the needy with kindness, listened to them, and even wiped their tears.