Rahul Gandhi Reaches Jammu, Wears A Jacket Finally; Dr Abdullah Compares Him To Adi Shankaracharya

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ entered Jammu on January 19 from Punjab for the last leg of his foot march. Significantly, Rahul who has been marching through north India in peak winter wearing just a t-shirt, was for the first time seen in a jacket. It was probably the drizzle in Jammu that forced him to wear the jacket. For 3,400 km during the 125 days journey so far, Rahul Gandhi’s minimal clothing has been a matter of curiosity. The yatra, which resumed from Kathua on Friday (Jan 20) has been given a massive security cover, with both police and paramilitary ring-fencing the Gandhi scion and his co-travellers. Rahul was advised by security agencies to not walk certain stretches in Kashmir. As he entered Jammu, he got a grand welcome, with top Kashmiri leader and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah travelling to Lakhanpur to receive him. Dr Abdullah went overboard, comparing Rahul to spiritual guru Adi Shankaracharya. “Centuries ago Shankaracharya came here. He walked when there were no roads but jungles. He had walked from Kalady (in Kerala) to Kashmir. He (Rahul Gandhi) is the second person who took out a yatra from the same Kanyakumari and is reaching Kashmir. The aim is to unite India.” Rahul’s comparison with Adi Shankaracharya provoked sharp reactions in social media with some suggesting that when Shankaracharya visited Kashmir there was 100% Hindu population.