New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will start from Manipur “at any cost”, the Congress said Wednesday after the BJP-led Manipur government denied the party permission to hold a public meeting in Imphal to mark the beginning of the east-to-west outreach march.
A sequel to last year’s Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was supposed to begin on 14 January from Hatta Kangjeibung – a historic polo ground in Imphal East district. But the state administration has said the Congress can only flag off the march with “limited participants”, according to the party.
Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said Wednesday that the party was going ahead with the programme and that the yatra would start from Manipur at any cost. “We do not want to politicise the yatra. We don’t want to make an issue about Manipur either. This is a peaceful demonstration…asking for justice for the people of India, especially for the people of Manipur. That is why we are starting from Manipur,” he said.
Venugopal added that they were ready to cooperate with the government, but that didn’t mean abandoning the yatra.
#WATCH | On Manipur CM N Biren Singh declining the request for the venue of Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, party’s general secretary KC Venugopal says, “Bharat Jodo Yatra will start from Manipur at any cost. We are going ahead with the programme…We don’t want to politicise… pic.twitter.com/Q7iJLTu3Cf
— ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2024
The Congress’ second yatra, once again led by Gandhi, will involve a 66-day journey covering 6,713 km — by bus and on foot — spanning 110 districts, 100 Lok Sabha seats, and 337 assembly constituencies, culminating in Mumbai on March 20.
Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president Keisham Megachandra confirmed Wednesday that Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had denied permission for the rally at Hatta Kangjeibung, Palace Compound. He called the decision “unfortunate” and a “violation of people’s rights”, adding the party would look for an alternative “private place” to kick off the yatra.
Manipur has been besieged by months of ethnic violence that broke out last May, with violence reported as recently as this Monday.
CM N. Biren Singh had said Tuesday that permission for Gandhi’s rally was under “active consideration” and that a decision would be taken after inputs from security agencies, adding that the law and order situation in Manipur was “very critical”.
Also read: Manipur govt denies permission to launch Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Imphal