Sriperumbudur is where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide attack.
Ahead of the launch of Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, party leader Rahul Gandhi shared an emotional note today, saying he had lost his father to the "politics of hate" and was not ready to "lose his beloved country to it".
Mr Gandhi this morning visited the memorial of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur before the launch of the mega yatra from Kanyakumari.
Sriperumbudur is where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide attack by a terrorist of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam on May 21, 1991.
"I lost my father to the politics of hate and division. I will not lose my beloved country to it too. Love will conquer hate. Hope will defeat fear. Together, we will overcome," Mr Gandhi tweeted along with a picture of him paying respects to his father.
After visiting his father's memorial, Mr Gandhi left for Kanyakumari to attend an event at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam where Chief Minister MK Stalin will hand over the national flag to him for the launch of the yatra.
The Congress has said this is "longest political march" ever organised in the country. The yatra will be launched in a ceremony at 5 pm today and the 3,500-km foot march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will begin tomorrow morning.
Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by 118 'Bharat Yatris' on the march.
The Congress march is a desperate attempt to rally support ahead of the 2024 general election. The march comes at a time when the party is reeling under the exit of veteran leaders, the most recent and prominent being Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The Congress has said the aim of this yatra is to unite the country and connect with the common man on various issues such as unemployment, price rise and inflation.