Following a one-year hiatus, the Congress party resumed its national movement, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, initiating the campaign’s next phase on Sunday at Khongjom in the Thoubal district of Manipur. This northeastern state has experienced ethnic turmoil since the previous May.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Rahul Gandhi Resumes Congress’ National Unity March in Manipur Amid Ethnic Tensions”
The journey, spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the party, who flew to Imphal on a private aircraft from Delhi accompanied by several prominent members of the Congress, commenced with the offering of flowers at the Khongjom War Memorial in honor of the fallen warriors of the 1891 Anglo-Manipur War.
Subsequently, there was a sizable assembly at a privately-owned field in Khongjom where Gandhi delivered a speech to a vast audience. The continuation of the previous year’s Bharat Jodo Yatra from South to North will cover approximately 6,700 kilometers, crossing 15 states from the eastern to the western regions of India, and is set to conclude in Mumbai on March 20.
Gandhi stated in his speech, “When I visited Manipur on the 29th of June the previous year, I encountered situations and narratives completely unfamiliar to me. Despite my political career starting in 2004, it was my initial exposure to a state experiencing a complete governance breakdown. Currently, Manipur is rife with division, with animosity infiltrating every part of the state.”
Hundreds of thousands were impacted, and individuals lost their lives in the presence of their relatives. However, the Prime Minister has not made a trip to Manipur to console you or offer support. It’s possible he doesn’t consider Manipur as a piece of India or feel your suffering as his own, he continued. Gandhi criticized that Manipur serves as a testament to the divisive politics and philosophies propagated by the BJP and RSS. He pledged that the Congress party is committed to restoring unity and tranquility in Manipur.
Discussing the rationale behind calling the march a ‘justice’ yatra, he explained that the aim is to draw attention to the current social, economic, and political inequalities in the nation. He emphasized that the journey’s intention is to understand the challenges affecting individuals from various backgrounds. “Our goal isn’t to impose our thoughts on you, but rather to listen to what’s on your mind. We are eager to comprehend your struggles. Our objective is to spread a message of unity and peace,” Gandhi stated.
The gathering that marked the onset of the Congress party’s campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections saw the participation of numerous key figures, including the party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge, the chief ministers of states under Congress governance, and the former chief minister of Manipur, O Ibobi Singh. In his speech, Kharge highlighted the unprecedented nature of their campaign efforts, suggesting such an extensive endeavor is unique and unlikely to be seen again.
He criticized Prime Minister Modi for only appearing in Manipur to garner votes, accusing him of neglecting the state’s citizens in times of distress in favor of leisure activities and religious observances related to Lord Ram. Kharge contrasted this by recalling Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state in the previous June.
The journey began on Sunday afternoon from the assembly area and took a halt for the night at Koirengi Market in Imphal, which is about 40 kilometers distant. Gandhi and the rest will stay overnight at the Koujengleima Sports Association soccer field in Sekmai for the initial evening of the march.
The commencement of the yatra has attracted significant media attention due to the initial denial and subsequent conditional approval by the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government to launch the event from Hafta Kangjeibung, a well-known communal area in the Imphal East district. This led the Congress to relocate the starting point to a privately-owned field in Khongjom, which is approximately 35 kilometers away from Imphal.
Gandhi has made his way to the state for the second time since his previous journey in June of the preceding year, during which he spent two days in Manipur engaging with victims of the ethnic conflict that began a month prior. Since May of the previous year, Manipur has experienced ongoing ethnic turmoil involving the majority Meitei population in the Imphal Valley and the Kuki-Zo tribal group. This conflict has resulted in the loss of no fewer than 200 lives and the displacement of approximately 50,000 people.
