The Congress on Tuesday launched the logo, tagline and website of its upcoming 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', billed as the largest-ever mass contact programme by a political party covering Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary and chief spokesman Jairam Ramesh said the main yatra will cover 3,570 km from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north over a period of about five months beginning September 7. Simultaneously, smaller 'Bharat Jodo Yatras' will be taken out in various states. Senior party leader Digvijay Singh, who heads party's yatra organising committee, told the press conference that Congress president Sonia Gandhi wants people from every religion, caste and community participate in campaign. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will participate in the yatra from Kanyakumari. "There will be 100 'padayatris' who will walk from start to finish. They will be 'Bharat Yatris'. Around 100 people will keep joining from states through which this yatra is not passing, these people will be 'Atithi Yatris'.
Around 100 yatris will be involved from states through which journey will pass, these will be 'Pradesh Yatris'. At a time, there will be 300 padayatris," Singh said. Responding to a question, he said, "Rahul Gandhi is a big leader of country and will be a 'Bharat Yatri' in yatra."
Singh said the country has witnessed neither a 'padayatra' nor any mass contact programme of this scale before. Singh and Ramesh unveiled the tagline of the yatra — 'Mile Kadam, Jude Watan'— a four-page pamphlet.
The leaders also launched the website and urged those wanting to participate in the yatra to register on it. "Ek tera kadam, ek mera kadam, mil jaye to jud jaye apna watan (one step yours, one step mine, together they can unite India),"
Rahul said in a tweet and also put the logo of the yatra as his Twitter profile picture. Several Congress social media handles changed their profile picture to display the logo. The foot march will cover 12 states and two Union territories.