'If Congress wants 'Bharat Jodo', why Article 370 not revoked during its rule': BJP

Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arjun Munda attacked Congress over its "Bharat Jodo Yatra" and said that the party wants to earn political mileage in the guise of strengthing the nation.

Speaking to ANI, Arjun Munda questioned the intention of the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress saying, "Article 370 would have been revoked from Jammu and Kashmir during its many decades of the rule if the Congress had the true intention to strengthen the country... The character of Congress has been well assessed by the people. People have started rejecting Congress in a way and have rejected it."

'Why Article 370 was not revoked during Congress rule?': Arjun Munda

The former Jharkhand Chief Minister further slammed the Congress party and said that if the party really wanted to unite India, then why did they not revoke Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir during its rule? 

"If they really wanted 'Bharat Jodo', then why did not they abrogate Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir? They ruled the country for so many years," Munda told ANI. Slamming Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said, "This kind of Yatra called 'Bharat Jodo' is being taken out to reap political gains. It is not happening for the sake of the people or to strengthen the country."

Munda said that the true "Bharat Jodo" is being done by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and PM Modi. The BJP government is working towards the country's holistic development, Munda noted.

Sonia Gandhi joins Bharat Jodo Yatra

Earlier on Thursday, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi joined Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka's Mandya district. Amid cheers and slogan-shouting by party workers, Sonia Gandhi walked beside her son Rahul Gandhi and other leaders for a few kilometres in the Mandya district. A number of senior Congress leaders, including former CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D K Shivakumar, walked along with the Gandhis.

Notably, this is the first time that the Congress interim president has joined a public event after recovering from COVID-19 earlier this year. She has not been electioneering or participating in public events of Congress for a long time due to health reasons. 

It is pertinent to mention that the 3,570 km long Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra began from Kanyakumari on September 8. According to Congress, with this Yatra, it wants to combat the alleged divisive politics of the BJP-led Central government.

(With inputs from ANI)