Rahul Gandhi started his day with a visit to his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur. He then left for Kanyakumari to attend an event at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam where Chief Minister MK Stalin will hand over the national flag to him for the yatra launch.

The 3,500 kilometer-long-yatra, dubbed by the Congress as the “longest political march” organised in the country over the last century, will be launched at around 5 pm with a rally, and the ‘padyatra’ or foot march will begin on Thursday morning.

Led by Rahul Gandhi, Congress workers and leaders will walk around six-seven hours every day to cover 12 states and two union territories over the next 150 days. All state unit presidents would hold the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in their respective states in solidarity with Mr Gandhi, the party said in a statement.

The Congress said Rahul Gandhi will walk all the way from Kashmir to Kanyakumari – where the yatra will conclude. Claiming a rise in social polarisation and political centralisation in India, Rahul Gandhi had earlier said that the yatra is like a ‘tapasya’ to him to unite the country.

The Congress says the yatra is party’s biggest ever ‘Jan Samparka programme’ during which they will try to connect with the common people on various issues, including inflation, price rise and unemployment.

With inputs from NDTV