Imphal: The Congress party kicked off its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, a nationwide campaign to expose the failures of the BJP-led central government and demand justice for the people, from Manipur’s Khongjom on Sunday. The Yatra, which will cover about 6,200 Kms in 66 days across 22 states and union territories, is led by former party president Rahul Gandhi.
The Yatra was flagged off by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge from the Khongjom War Memorial in Thoubal district, where the participants paid homage to the martyrs of the 1891 Anglo-Manipur War. The Thoubal district administration had imposed a cap of 3,000 participants in the Yatra, citing COVID-19 protocols.
Gandhi, Kharge, and Chief Ministers of some Congress-ruled states arrived at the Imphal airport on Sunday morning and proceeded directly to the venue. The Manipur government had earlier denied permission to the Congress to start the Yatra from Hapta Kangjeibung, the historic polo ground in Imphal, forcing the party to change the venue to Khongjom.
The Yatra will conclude at Imphal on Sunday evening and resume on Monday morning, covering Kangpokpi and Senapati districts in Manipur before moving to Nagaland. The Yatra will be taken out for 11 days in five North Eastern States, including Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who arrived on Saturday, said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is an ideological rally and not an electoral one. He said that the Yatra aims to safeguard democracy, the Constitution, and its Preamble and deliver social justice to the people who have been suffering under the BJP regime.
Ramesh also slammed the BJP for neglecting Manipur and creating chaos in the state. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited Manipur since 2018 and has failed to address the issues of the people, such as the Naga peace talks, the border dispute with Myanmar, the Covid-19 crisis, and the economic slowdown.
MPCC president K Meghachandra said that the Yatra will be supported by the bloc of 10 political parties, including the CPI, the CPI(M), the NCP, the RJD, the SP, the BSP, the DMK, the TMC, and the AAP. He said that the Yatra will expose the BJP’s divisive and communal agenda and unite the people of India under the Congress banner.
Security has been tightened along the route of the Yatra and all preparations have been completed to make the rally successful, Meghachandra said. He appealed to the people of Manipur and the North East to join the Yatra and raise their voices against the BJP.
