Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Rahul Gandhi on Sunday is expected to begin the Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the violence-hit Manipur. The Yatra, which will travel through 100 Lok Sabha segments in 15 states, is being seen as the party's bid to set the narrative in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls and put the spotlight on issues such as unemployment, price rise and social justice. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the party believes, will prove to be as "transformative" as Gandhi's earlier cross-country march.
The Congress has said the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is being organised to raise voice against the "injustice" of the last 10 years. It has released a "Nyay anthem" with the tagline "Saho Mat, Daro Mat (do not suffer, do not be scared)".
Rahul Gandhi message before yatra
Gandhi had on Friday said emotional issues are being "misused" politically and attention is being diverted from real issues, in a "betrayal" of the people of the country. In a post on X, the former Congress president said, "The youth will have to think about what will be the identity of the India of our dreams? Quality of life or just emotions? Youth raising provocative slogans or the employed youth? Love or hate?".
Partial Nod
The yatra will be flagged off from a private ground in Manipur's Thoubal district, instead of Imphal, the party's initial choice. The state government had given the Congress conditional approval to flag off the yatra from the Palace grounds, restricting the number of people. Therefore, the Congress decided to opt for another venue. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and all top leaders of the party will be in Thoubal to flag off the yatra.
Manipur violence
Manipur has been rocked by ethnic violence since May last year which has claimed over 180 lives. The violence erupted on May 3 last year after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
6,713 km area to be covered in 67 days
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would traverse 6,713 km mostly in buses but also on foot. The yatra will cover 110 districts, 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments in 67 days, before its finale in Mumbai on March 20 or 21.
Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh has asserted that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would prove to be as impactful and transformative as the earlier over 4,000-km Bharat Jodo Yatra. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi had raised three big issues of rising inequality, growing social polarisation and increasing political tyranny and authoritarianism, and the way out of this is to ensure justice for people, Ramesh has said.
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