After Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is all set for ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’ which will begin from 14 January, covering 14 states.
"On 21 December, Congress Working Committee unanimously gave an opinion that Rahul Gandhi should start a yatra from East to West. Rahul Gandhi agreed to fulfill the wishes of CWC. AICC has decided to hold a 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' from 14 January to 20 March, from Manipur to Mumbai," Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal said in a press briefing on Wednesday, 27 December.
"In this yatra, Rahul Gandhi is going to interact with the youth, women and marginalised people. This yatra will cover a distance of 6,200 km and travel through 14 states – Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra," Venugopal added.
Other Details:
The yatra will be flagged off from Manipur's Imphal by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on 14 January.
Most of the yatra will be on a bus, with off and on walking stretches.
When asked about why Manipur was chosen as the starting point, Venugopal said, " the state was an important part of the country and also the party wanted to begin the process of healing the wounds of people of Manipur."
Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra commenced from Kanyakumari on 7 September 2022 and concluded in Srinagar on 29 January 2023, covering 75 districts across the country.
How Other Parties Reacted To Yatra
Reacting to Congress' announcement, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said, "Rahul Gandhi did Bharat Jodo Yatra but his goal was not to unite the country but to pull it apart since the Congress party has always played the role in pulling India apart...Even after years of rule, they didn't work to keep India together, and now Rahul Gandhi is up to do it."
Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi also told ANI, "Only if when they were in government and had done some 'Nyay' to the people, the Nyay Yatra would not be needed. The country suffered the biggest injustice under their regime...They are the perpetrators of injustice who are running the justice yatra, 'Nyay' yatra..."
Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference and former CM of J&K Farooq Abdullah said that his party will support Bharat Nyay Yatra.
"We were a part of Bharat Jodo Yatra and will be a part of Bharat Nyay Yatra...There can be a situation in Kashmir (like that in Gaza) if India and Pakistan do not go for dialogue... On one side we have Pakistan and on the other there's China. If a war breaks out, the people of Kashmir will be affected. Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said, "We can change our friends, but not our neighbours..." Abdullah said.
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