Rahul Gandhi halts at roadside eatery during Bharat Jodo Yatra's Kerala leg, shop owner narrates experience

Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra continued on day 5 as it started its Kerala leg, which would last 19 days, on Sunday.

Rahul Gandhi who is leading the march, early this morning halted at a tea shop in Kunnathuvila near Udayankulamgara on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kanyakumari National Highway. Gandhi stopped at the shop while he was taking a break. The owner of the shop Stanly was pleasantly surprised to see the Congress leader stepping into his shop.

Stanly said that he had heard of the passing of the foot march through his shop's route, however, it was beyond his expectation that Gandhi would stop at his shop for snacks.
Narrating the incident, the owner of the shop told ANI, "I was quite surprised when a VIP guest entered my shop and had tea and snacks. I heard that Rahul Gandhi's yatra was passing through this way. But it was quite unexpected for me that Rahul visited my shop. I was also waiting in the shop watching the padayatra."

He was happy about the gesture by Gandhi after the Congress leader asked him for a picture while leaving the shop.
"Five minutes before Rahul Gandhi reached here, a man came and told us that Rahul Gandhi would come here to have tea and asked me to clean the table. He entered the shop and his security blocked the road. Rahul Gandhi had tea, snacks, biscuits and banana. He asked for an extra tea. I was alone in the shop. After having tea, he invited me to take photos. I called my wife too," he said.

He said that he was elated after Gandhi asked to take pictures and said that it was for the first time that a leader had visited his shop.
"He was very happy and took photos with me. This is the first time that a great leader visited my shop. It was unexpected," he said.
The Congress leaders reached Parassala, a small town located near the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be completed in 150 days and cover as many as 12 states.
From Kerala, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 18 days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north. The Padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.
According to Congress, the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is being held to combat the divisive politics of the BJP-led Centre and to awaken the people of the country to the dangers of economic inequalities, social polarisation and political centralisation. (ANI)