Sonia Gandhi joins Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka

Pandavapure: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra here, participating in a public event of the party after a long gap.

Amid cheers and slogan-shouting by party workers, Sonia Gandhi walked beside her son Rahul Gandhi and other leaders for a few kilometers in the Mandya district of Karnataka. Several senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Siddaramaiah and PCC president D K Shivakumar, walked along with the Gandhis.

Security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowds which jostled to get a glimpse of the Congress president.

This is the first time that Sonia Gandhi has joined a public event after recovering from COVID-19 earlier this year. The Congress president had contracted coronavirus twice and was also hospitalized.

Sonia Gandhi has not been electioneering or participating in public events of the party for a long time due to health reasons.

She had last participated in a roadshow in Varanasi in August 2016 where she sustained a shoulder injury and later underwent surgery. The 3,570 km long Bharat Jodo Yatra began from Kanyakumari on September 8. With the Yatra, the Congress said it wants to combat the alleged divisive politics of the BJP-led Central government.