Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 will begin on January 14 from Manipur in recognition of the pain, suffering and injustice to the northeastern state at the hands of an insensitive Sate and the Central government which is still struggling to turn normal after months of ethnic violence.
Addressing a press conference after a three and half hour long meeting of the PCC chiefs and leaders of the Congress Legislature Parties, Jairam said that the decision to add ‘Jodo’ was taken at the meeting in consultation with the leaders present.
The march will cover Gujarat’s Porbandar — the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. The party was initially planning to begin the yatra from Arunachal Pradesh but decided to start from Imphal so that a positive message can go to the entire Northeast that the Congress is taking sordid violent incidents that began in June 2023.
As with the beginning, the name of the second phase of the march was changed. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said they decided to add the word “Jodo” to recreate the impact generated by last year’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The idea of Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra is Justice. The objective is to ensure political, economic and social justice for people of India,” Ramesh said while saying that the first pillar of the preamble of the country’s Constitution is justice while brotherhood, equality, liberty are the other three pillars.
The Bharat Jodo Kanyakumari-Srinagar Yatra, which traversed India from south to north, had generated much goodwill, the Congress had said. It also changed the perspective of many towards Gandhi as a serious political leader with a warmth towards people, leaders of the Congress had privately admitted.
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will begin from Imphal at 12.30 pm.on January 14. It will pass through Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Arunanchal Pradesh, Meghalaya and West Bengal before reaching central India.
Unlike the last time though, the Yatra will not be entirely on foot. For parts of the journey, the party will use buses, Jairam Ramesh said.
The change is as much due to time constraints imposed by the general election as the health concerns of the party’s elderly leaders. More than one leader had made headlines last year due to the exertion they faced, keeping up with the superbly fit Rahul Gandhi.
“We are inviting leaders of all the parties of INDIA alliance, their supporters, the general public and NGOs to participate in the yatra,” Jairam Ramesh said.
Asked if Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party – which has not pulled punches where the Congress is concerned – will be invited, Ramesh said all parties that are part of the INDIA bloc have been invited. “And AAP and Arvind Kejriwal are part of INDIA,” he pointed out.
All Chief Ministers belonging to the opposition bloc will be present at Imphal to flag off the yatra, he added.
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