The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra began from Manipur’s Thoubal district on Sunday, 14 January.
Addressing the public, Gandhi said that the "Congress party understands the pain that the people of Manipur have gone through in the last many months."
"You have lost what you valued but we will find what you have valued once again and bring it back to you. We understand the pain the people of Manipur have been through. We understand the hurt, the loss and the sadness you have been through. We promise you that we will bring back what you valued, we will bring back the harmony, the peace, the affection that this state has always been known for," said Gandhi.
Gandhi also criticised PM Modi for not visiting Manipur since the start of the conflict last year.
"People lost their loved ones in front of their eyes. But PM Modi has not come here to wipe your tears and hold your hands. Maybe for Narendra Modi ji, for the BJP and the RSS, Manipur is not a part of the country," Gandhi further added.
The leader said that he decided to start the yatra from Manipur to listen to, and understand the plight of the people of Manipur.
Several Congress leaders, including Gandhi, had boarded the flight from Delhi to Manipur Sunday morning, chanting slogans of, ‘Nyay Ka Haq, Milne Taq!’
Top leaders including Salman Khurshid, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Karti Chidambaram, and others, departed from Delhi on the same flight, along with Gandhi.
“The yatra is not just essential for the Congress party but also transformative for the political landscape of the country. There was a renewed vigour in our cadre after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and now we have rekindled the same yatra. Starting today, Rahul Gandhi will lead this yatra from Manipur all the way to Mumbai, traveling through several kilometres,” said Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary (Communications) of the Congress.
Yatra To Travel Through 15 States
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to begin at 2:30 pm, with Rahul Gandhi leading the march, on foot. The yatra is expected to cover 100 Lok Sabha constituencies across 15 states.
The yatra was announced on 4 January, at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) meet, where it was also decided at leaders from INDIA parties will be invited to join the yatra.
The Congress had conducted the Bharat Jodo Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, which began late 2022 and ended in January 2023. Unlike the last time though, the Yatra will not be entirely on foot. For parts of the journey, the party will use buses. The party has said that the Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, is being taken out keeping in mind "political, economic and social injustices committed in the last 10 years".
Danish Ali To Join Yatra, First Non-Congress Politician To Do So
Lok Sabha MP and suspended BSP member Danish Ali is also set to join the yatra. In a statement on Sunday, Ali said he took this decision "after much soul searching."
"Today, I have decided to join Shri Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. This is a very important moment for me. I have arrived here after much soul searching. In the atmosphere prevailing in the country, I had two options. Either to accept the status quo and ignore the exploitation of Dalits, backwards, tribals, minorities and other marginalised and poor sections, or to launch an all-out campaign against this atmosphere of fear, hate, exploitation and the deepening divide in the country. My conscience pushed me to take the second option,” Danish Ali said.
"Taking this decision came naturally to me as I was myself at the receiving end of a similar attack in Parliament, where swear words were used by a member of the ruling party against me and my religion,” he added.
Ali was abused by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri last year with Islamophobic slurs in the parliament. Since then, Ali has been protesting against Bidhuri, demanding that he be expelled from the Lok Sabha.
Last month, Bidhuri was suspended by the BSP, after he spoke in support of TMC's Mahua Moitra, in the context of the alleged 'cash for query' scam.
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