Rahul embarks on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur, says state reduced to ‘symbol of RSS-BJP hate’

While communal harmony was the primary theme of the Yatra, the Congress has said the east-west event will also advance ideas of social, economic and political justice.

Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra launch | ANI

Imphal: The Manipur-Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will offer the vision of a country rooted in “harmony, equity and brotherhood”, pulling it out from the grip of “violence, hate and economic monopoly”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Sunday, embarking on a bus journey which is set to be the lynchpin of the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha campaign.

Addressing a rally in Thoubal, located over 30 kilometers away from Manipur’s capital Imphal, Gandhi said the Northeastern state, roiled by ethnic clashes since last May, has emerged as the “symbol of the politics of hate of the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]”, which have meted out “injustice” to the nation.

“Violence, hate and economic monopoly will not represent the vision of India. It will be guided by harmony, equity and brotherhood,” Gandhi said, minutes before setting off on the Yatra on a customised bus, after offering floral tributes at the Khongjom War Memorial that commemorates the 1891 Anglo-Manipur war.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge flagged off the bus from Thoubal, in the presence of the party’s top echelon, excluding Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Leaders of parties part of INDIA bloc, including the CPI, CPI(M), JD(U), AAP, TMC RSP, AIFB, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP were also present at the Yatra flag off. Suspended BSP MP Danish Ali, who also turned up, was seen seated beside Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivkumar on the dais.

The BJP-led government in Manipur had earlier denied Congress the permission to launch the Yatra from a ground in Imphal.

The Yatra will pass through 14 states and 100 Lok Sabha seats, including over 50 in heartland states, before culminating in Mumbai on 20 March. The previous edition of the Yatra, which was on foot, saw Gandhi covering over 4,000 kms between Kanyakumari and Srinagar, from September 2022 to January 2023.

While communal harmony was the primary theme of the walkathon, the Congress has said that the east-west Yatra will advance the ideas of social, economic and political justice, in an apparent attempt to broaden its catchment area by focusing on issues such as unemployment and price rise.

At the Yatra launch, however, it was all too evident that the Congress is wary of the impact of the upcoming consecration ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Temple — labelled by the party as a political project of the RSS and the BJP — on the public mood ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

‘Can feel the hurt’

Kharge’s speech, punctuated with references to the 22 January Ayodhya event, was illustrative in this regard. The Congress president, who is likely to be the chairperson of the Opposition’s INDIA alliance, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using religion as a tool to seek votes.

“He comes to Manipur seeking votes. But turns away when the people of this state are in trouble. Mu mai Ram, bagal mai chhuri [Talking Ram, carrying a knife]. All of us have faith in God, but don’t indulge in such antics for votes. Instead fight for your principles like we do. We fight for secularism, liberty, equality, social justice to save the Constitution. But they are using religion to incite people,” Kharge said.

Without making any direct reference to it, Kharge also attacked the PM over his trip to Lakshadweep earlier this month, during which he went snorkeling.

“He dives under the ocean but cannot travel to Manipur. Let him invoke the name of Ram for atonement…” Kharge said, attempting to draw a contrast between the legacy of the Nehru-Gandhis and the current dispensation when it comes to Northeast India.

In his speech, Gandhi also tore into the Modi government’s role on handling the Manipur crisis, which has seen the loss of nearly 200 lives owing to ethnic clashes between the state’s non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo communities.

“I am in politics since 2004. For the first time I went to a state where the entire administration had collapsed. Till date the PM hasn’t come to Manipur to embrace you, to wipe your tears. It is a matter of shame. Perhaps for Modi and the BJP-RSS Manipur is not a part of India,” he said, adding that it was he who picked Manipur as the venue of the Yatra’s launch.

“We can feel the hurt, loss, sadness that you have been through. We promise and commit to you that we will bring back what you valued – harmony and peace,” Gandhi said.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)