The interim Congress president, who is about to hand over her chair to a non- Gandhi once elections for the post of party president conclude on October 17, has not canvassed or participated in public events of the party for a long time due to health reasons.
Her daughter and Congress general secretary Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted, “Congress president Sonia Gandhi joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra today.The whole country will be United and will move forward strongly.”
The longest serving Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi had last participated in a roadshow in Varanasi in August 2016 where she sustained a shoulder injury and later underwent a surgery.
Though brief, the presence of Sonia Gandhi was seen in party circles as a major morale booster.
Besides the Congress lauding her spirit on its official Twitter handle, the Karnataka Congress also hailed her and tweeted, “Unfazed, Undeterred & United. More power to our fight against tyrannical and divisive forces as Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi joins the march.”
Congress leaders further took to the micro blogging site to cheer Rahul Gandhi for his visible show of affection for Sonia Gandhi.
Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate tweeted a video where Rahul is seen prodding his mother to return to the vehicle, even when the latter appears eager to continue walking.
“A concerned son, before anything else. That’s why I respect Rahul Gandhi because a mother has to be loved and cared for – sometimes despite her resistance,” Shrinate captioned the video.
The 3,570 km long Bharat Jodo Yatra began from Kanyakumari on September 8.
The yatra has so far covered 600 km across the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
The Congress seeks to “combat alleged divisive forces of the BJP-led Central government” through the yatra.
