New Delhi:
Shiv Sena leader (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray joined the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by Congresswoman Rahul Gandhi in Kalamnuri in Hingoli in Maharashtra on Friday. The two leaders walked side by side as they waved to the people lining the road.
His party colleague and the leader of the opposition in the state legislative council Ambadas Danve accompanied Aaditya Thackeray in the march. Former MLA Sachin Ahir also participated.
Party chief Uddhav Thackeray has also been invited to join the march during the Maharashtra stage.
The cross-country foot march has entered its 65th day.
The gesture signifies closeness between the two parties, with different ideologies, who have agreed on a common minimum program to form the now-removed Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
Several prominent leaders have so far participated in the Rahul Gandhi-led march. The Congress party has consistently maintained that anyone who agrees with the Yatra’s message of standing in solidarity with people from different communities across the country can join them.
Rahul Gandhi has also attacked the BJP-led state government in Maharashtra and has lost some major projects to other states – an issue that Aaditya Thackeray has consistently addressed.
Aditya Thackeray and Rahul Gandhi have come together at a time when a new government in the state will contest its first poll following the split of Shiv Sena and the BJP backing rebels to overthrow the government of Maha Vikas Aghadi. With the Civil Body (BMC) polls and other municipal elections looming, Aditya Thackeray’s visit could mean that the two parties will enter these elections in an alliance.
When Chief Minister Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray, he cited the alliance with Congress and NCP as one of the reasons for doing so. Despite the major political setback, it is noteworthy that Aaditya Thackeray has publicly affirmed his party’s relationship with Congress, indicating an ideological shift in the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
Flowers were distributed to the participants in Seni village in Nanded’s Ardhapur taluka, with the march entering the Hingoli district of Choramba Phata.
In Hingoli, a group of people who came to encourage the march, including many women and children, even brought an elephant.
Among those who lined the route chanting slogans in support of the march and seeking the implementation of ‘One Rank One Pension’ (ORO) were 22 former military personnel.
“We believe that Congress can meet this requirement (OROP),” former army officer Sahebrao Hone told PTI news agency.
Mr Gandhi interacted with people along the route of the march.
On Thursday, Nationalist Congress party leaders Supriya Sule and Jitendra Awhad had joined the march. While NCP chief Sharad Pawar was invited to join the yatra, he was unable to participate due to ill health.
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