IMPHAL: In a move to steer the narrative ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kick-started the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the heart of Manipur, on Sunday.
Aiming to address issues such as unemployment, inflation, and social justice, the yatra, after initial hiccups following denial of permission to launch in Imphal, was kicked-off from a private ground in Thoubal district.
Declaring it as an ideological journey rather than an electoral one, the Congress stated that this yatra is a response to the perceived “anyay kaal” (period of injustice) during the decade-long tenure of the Narendra Modi government.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary, highlighting the essence of the yatra in a post, wrote, “The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra…starts Sunday to raise our voice for economic justice, social justice, and political justice, to raise our voice against the ANYAY KAAL of the last 10 years.”
In a pointed critique, Ramesh questioned the Prime Minister’s silence and absence in Manipur for over 8 months since the outbreak of violence. “Does the Prime Minister not consider Manipur to be a part of India? Does the Prime Minister not respect the contribution of Manipuris to India?” the post continued. The yatra, he assured, would spotlight the quest for justice in Manipur.
At the onset of the yatra, Gaurav Gogoi, the Deputy Leader of the party in Lok Sabha, spoke to the press, saying that the poeple of Manipur has whole-heartedly welcomed the party in the state. “We have been welcomed by the people of Manipur with lots of love as they connect with our agenda for the yatra. We (party leaders) are here to help them and they know that Congress is the only party who have been vocal about the crisis Manipur is enduring since May.”
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra commenced with Rahul Gandhi paying homage at the Khongjom War memorial, symbolising the sacrifice of Manipuris during the 1891 Anglo-Manipuri War.
The new venue, however, wasn’t devoid of any restrictions, as the district clearly mentioned that the duration of the yatra shouldn’t exceed one hour and the number of participants should be limited to 3000.
Spanning 6,713 km and traversing 100 Lok Sabha constituencies across 15 states, the yatra is envisioned to be as transformative as Gandhi’s previous cross-country march.
The journey, set to cover 110 districts in 67 days, will culminate in Mumbai on March 20 or 21.
