Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, being led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, entered Bihar on Monday (January 29) through Kishanganj, a district having a heavy Muslim population and also a stronghold of the party. Rahul Gandhi entered Bihar for the first time since the unsuccessful Assembly poll campaign in 2020 where the party only managed to win 19 seats out of the 70 it contested in. The Yatra reaches a day after a massive turnaround took place in the state politics as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left the I.N.D.I.A bloc and rejoined the NDA on Sunday (January 28).
Rahul Gandhi addresses public meeting in Kishanganj
Rahul Gandhi addressed a gathering on the occasion and hit out at the BJP and said that the ideologies of RSS and the saffron party are spreading violence and hatred in the country. He said that the Congress party presented “ideology of love” as an alternative before the country, adding that the Bharat Jodo Yatra, conducted last year, played a major role in “opening a 'shop of love in the market of hatred”.
“Last year we did 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. People asked us what is the aim of this journey and why are you doing it on foot? We said- The ideology of RSS-BJP has spread violence and hatred in the country. That's why we took this journey to open a 'shop of love in the market of hatred'. This journey had a huge impact on the politics of India,” Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a rally in Kishanganj.
“BJP has presented the ideology of hatred and violence before the country, against that we have brought the ideology of love. Hate cannot destroy hatred, hatred can only be destroyed by love. On one hand, people of BJP-RSS talk about dividing the country through hatred, while on the other hand we talk about love,” he added.
Rallies in Bihar
Rahul Gandhi addressed a public meeting in Kishanganj. He is further scheduled to address a rally in the Purnea district on Tuesday and another one in Katihar a day later, Congress legislature party leader Shakil Ahmed Khan said.
He will be leaving for West Bengal on Thursday via Araria district and will return to Bihar a few days later via Jharkhand, said state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh.
The leaders of the state Congress, the party’s alliance partners in the state – RJD president Lalu Yadav and CPI(ML)-L general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya – have been invited to the rally at Purnea.
Congress had earlier also extended an invitation to Nitish Kumar who, according to sources, would not have attended the rally. The development was reported before the major shift in the Bihar politics took place yesterday.
After a two-day hiatus, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday resumed 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. Gandhi was received by West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury at the Bagdogra airport in Siliguri in the northern part of the state.
Nitish Kumar quits I.N.D.I.A bloc
In a major jolt to the I.N.D.I.A bloc, Nitish Kumar walked out of the Opposition’s grand alliance on Sunday (January 28) and rejoined its previous ally NDA, with months to go for the Lok Sabha elections.
Nitish’s step drew sharp reactions from the Opposition leaders who said that the people of Bihar will teach him a lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections this year and Assembly polls next year.
However, they denied suffering any blow due to Nitish Kumar’s surprising move and said that the INDI alliance stands strong and will contest unitedly against the BJP-led NDA in the general elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
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