Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, which is generating a lot of local support in Kerala and a lot of media attention, has also been special for the Bengal Congress girl, who is one of the two padyatris (marchers) among the 117 others.
Among the walkers from Bengal is Prajita Roy Choudhury (34), better known as Pooja and her colleague Kiran Chhetri (46).
National coordinator of All India Mahila Congress Pooja is extremely happy to be selected from the state for the coveted honour. This yatra is reportedly the longest march by any political party in the world.
But the biggest moment for the Bengal girl was walking alongside Rahul Gandhi at Puthiyakavu in Kerala on Day 11 of their walk.
“It was surreal. But I was excited to be asked to walk with him. The roster allows all of us to be with him for some time as we walk, said Pooja.
Ask her about the interaction she had with her leader and she said, “I talked about my state, about my ideas about state Congress and how the youth can be made to play a bigger role. I asked Rahul Bhaiya to come to Bengal and Tripura to rejuvenate the party workers, which is saddled with corruption,” said Pooja, who is also Mahila Congress in-charge of Tripura and Sikkim.”
Another party leader said that Pooja also discussed RSS and BJP strategy in north and south India and how the Congress can counter it nationally.
“He interacts with all of us during meals and tries to find out about us, ask us about the history of India to check how much knowledge we have. He tries to find out about our contribution towards the party and our commitment, why we want to work for the Congress party,” said Pooja.
The Bengal women Congress worker also had to encounter blisters on the first week of the march. But, she soldiered on. Seeing her resolve, even Rahul Gandhi was impressed and personally took her to a local hospital for treatment of the blisters. An embarrassed Pooja just smiled but wasn’t ready to talk much about it. “Yes, he was kind enough to take me to a local hospital and ensured I get the best treatment,” she said.
Talking about the journey so far, Pooja said the Rahul craze is very evident. “People are saluting us. We are feeling proud. Once Gandhiji walked and now we are walking on the same path. I coined the slogan: jitney bhi pair mein pade chale, hum nahi rukne wale, hum Savarkar nahi, hum Gandhi wale hain.”
“People are accepting us with open arms and this will have its impact in the coming days. This will leave a footprint in the nation. Like my leader says, we are fighting for our national flag and its dignity,” signed off Pooja.
The 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be completed in 150 days and cover as many as 12 states. The march is in its Kerala leg.