RaGa, Lord Ram common letter coincidence: Patole

Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Tuesday concurred with Rajasthan minister Parsadi Lal Meena’s remark that likened Lord Ram’s padyatra (journey on foot) from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo’ padyatra. Addressing media persons during a review meeting on preparations to welcome ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ into Maharashtra, Patole said that it is, however, a “co-incidence” that both of their names begin with the letter ‘R’. The remarks of the state Congress chief came after Meena on Monday said that Rahul Gandhi is walking even more than Lord Ram did from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka. “Rahul Gandhi’s padyatra will be historic. Lord Ram too had gone from Ayodhya to Sri Lanka on foot. He (Gandhi) is walking even more than that, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir,” Meena had said. Reacting to the statement, Patole said, “Even Lord Ram walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir as did (Adi) Shankaracharya (Vedic scholar). Rahul Gandhi is doing the same in the form of a padyatra. People are joining him, so it is not a comparison to Lord Ram, but a coincidence, that both their names begin with the letter ‘R’. But we do not compare Rahul with Lord Ram while BJP leaders compare their leaders with God. God is God and Rahul Gandhi is a human being.” He is working for humanity and it can be seen by everyone, he added. Patole organized the meeting to discuss the party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ which is likely to pass from Maharashtra on November 07. One of the main agendas discussed were preparations for the yatra to facilitate people joining it with party leaders. The yatra entered Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday morning. The yatra is scheduled to carry on for a total of 150 days. On the 41st day of the yatra, Rahul Gandhi resumed the march from the Halaharvi bus stop in Kurnool. “As the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ enters Andhra Pradesh, the excitement has gone to the next level. Massive support to all the Padyatris has energized everyone,” the Congress said in a tweet.