Sonia Gandhi’s newly published memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, provides a detailed account of the conception and execution of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. According to ThePrint, the march was initiated during the pandemic when Rahul Gandhi perceived a growing mood of despondency among the public. The book describes how he sought to consolidate scattered protests against the Bharatiya Janata Party into a unified political force.
The memoir notes that Rahul Gandhi spent hours walking in the garden before formally outlining his plans to his mother. He expressed a desire to demonstrate that hundreds of thousands of citizens shared their political anxieties. Sonia Gandhi recalls that he repeatedly assured her that the political landscape would shift, a sentiment that underpinned the decision to launch a nationwide march. The initiative was framed within the tradition of the padayatra, a journey on foot intended to connect with and galvanise the populace.
The logistical scale of the Bharat Jodo Yatra required the involvement of thousands of Congress workers. The march covered 3,800 kilometres across 12 states over nearly 150 days, beginning at India’s southernmost tip in September 2022 and concluding in Srinagar in January 2023. Sonia Gandhi describes her initial apprehension regarding her son’s physical condition, particularly his chronic knee pain, and the security challenges posed by swelling crowds. She joined the march in Karnataka in October, where they took a break at Kabini Wildlife Park.
During this period, Rahul Gandhi reflected on the affection shown by the public and the insights he gained from direct engagement with citizens. The memoir suggests that this direct interaction allowed him to establish his own political voice after years of external criticism. The journey ended with a security scare in Srinagar, where personnel were temporarily separated from the leader by a large crowd, halting the march for a day until arrangements were restored. ThePrint reports that the book positions the Yatra as a pivotal moment in the party’s recent history.