BJP completes Nagpur padyatra; Fadnavis, Gadkari target Rahul Gandhi and Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party's padyatra in Nagpur has concluded. The party held the march under its "Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy" campaign. Led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the march began at Yashwant Stadium and went up to Samvidhan Chowk. Thousands of BJP office-bearers, workers and supporters took part.

Large numbers of people had gathered around the venue even before the march began. Preparations were complete. Chief Minister Fadnavis and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule were the first to reach the stadium. Nitin Gadkari arrived a little later, after which the march set off. The police and the traffic department had also made arrangements for the event.

At the rally, leaders spoke on issues related to democracy, the Constitution and the electoral process, and targeted the opposition. Fadnavis attacked the Congress on the Constitution. He said that holding the Constitution in their hands on one side and doing anti-Constitution work on the other was an old habit of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.

Nitin Gadkari also targeted Rahul Gandhi. He said, "The more you speak, the weaker the Congress will become." Gadkari also accused the Congress of imposing the Emergency. He added that the Congress had misused institutions such as the judiciary and the Election Commission.

The march was not made up only of people from Nagpur. BJP supporters and senior leaders came to Nagpur from across Vidarbha, including Wardha, Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Amravati. Former MP Ramdas Tadas, Sunil Gaphat from the Wardha BJP and Ravi Rana from Amravati also joined with large numbers of supporters.

The padyatra's effect was also seen on the city's roads. Traffic jams built up on several routes and traffic slowed to a halt. This affected Diwali shopping.

The opposition has questioned the intent of the campaign. Through it, the BJP sought to answer the opposition's allegations about democracy and constitutional institutions. The day-long programme ended with the rally, in which both Fadnavis and Gadkari launched sharp attacks on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.