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Imphal: Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi led 10-years governance as \u201canyay kaal\u201d (period of injustice), the Congress on Sunday launched the 66-day long Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur\u2019s Thoubal district.<\/p>\n
The yatra will culminate in Mumbai on March 20 after covering 6,713 km through 15 states.<\/p>\n
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge flagged off the Yatra after paying tributes in the Thoubal district\u2019s Khongjom War Memorial, which was built in memory of those killed in the last Anglo-Manipur War in 1891.<\/p>\n
Besides Manipur (107 km in one day), the yatra, which is a hybrid Yatra \u2014 including bus and padyatra \u2014 will cover four other northeastern states \u2014 Nagaland (257 km in two days), Arunachal Pradesh (55 km in one day), Meghalaya (five km in one day) and Assam (833 km in eight days).<\/p>\n
Before starting the Yatra, addressing a huge gathering, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that a large number of people including women and children, died during over eight month long ethnic riot but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no time for Manipur.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand the pain, sadness and loss of huge lives and we promise you to bring back the harmony, peace and affection in Manipur,\u201d Rahul Gandhi said.<\/p>\n
He said that during his earlier visit to Manipur in June last year, he has never witnessed such a horrifying situation in the state since he joined politics in 2004.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got huge response in our earlier Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra (September 2022 to 30 January 2023) and interacted with lakhs of people,\u201d Rahul Gandhi said.<\/p>\n
He said that during the last Yatra, Congress listened to people from all walks of life and is again keen to listen to peoples\u2019 \u2018Man-Ki-Baat\u2019.<\/p>\n
He said that the BJP-RSS have been spreading their hatred through their political campaign.<\/p>\n
Rahul said that the country has been passing through a great political injustice, monopolisation in the economy destroying the small and medium industries.<\/p>\n
\u201cBackward people, dalits and tribals have no role in the governance,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in his speech criticising Prime Minister Modi, said that in the name of vote bank politics he is now \u2018chanting ram nam\u2019 and visiting everywhere but staying away from violence ravaged Manipur.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe BJP before the 2019 election promised to give two crore jobs every year\u2026 where are the jobs\u2026 injustice has been done with all sections of people. Through Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, we promised to return justice to every one \u2014 dalit, tribals, women, youths,\u201d Kharge said.<\/p>\n
He said that during the regime of former Congress Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi six northeastern states \u2014 Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh \u2014 got their statehood and all kinds of development were undertaken.<\/p>\n
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah; former Rajasthan Chief Minister and former deputy chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot; Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera, Pramod Tiwari, Gaurav Gogoi, Salman Khurshid, Digvijaya Singh, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Karti Chidambaram among other leaders participated in the Yatra.<\/p>\n
Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali, who was suspended by Mayawati-led The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), announced that he would join Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, saying he would be failing in his duty as a politician if he did not join \u201cbiggest drive for unity and justice\u201d.<\/p>\n
The 66-day long yatra will traverse 6,713 km, mostly in buses but also on foot.<\/p>\n
It will cover 110 districts in 100 parliamentary constituencies in 15 states, before culminating in Mumbai on March 20 or 21.<\/p>\n
Rahul Gandhi during the yatra will address small public gatherings and interact with people, civil society members and various organisations.<\/p>\n
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and a host of other party leaders earlier on Sunday reached Imphal from New Delhi by a chartered flight and went straight to Thoubal district and paid homage at the Khongjom War Memorial.<\/p>\n
The Manipur Congress leaders accorded a rousing reception to the Congress leaders at the Imphal airport.<\/p>\n
The Congress leaders then went to a nearby private ground, named \u2018Nyay Maidan\u2019 from where the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was flagged off.<\/p>\n
The Yatra will go to Nagaland on Monday and cover 257 km in five districts in two days.<\/p>\n
(IANS)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n