Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' to launch on January 14
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to launch the second edition of the party's nationwide march on January 14, 2024, on the lines of the previous Bharat Jodo Yatra. Called the Bharat Nyay Yatra, the east-to-west march will cover 14 states and start in the strife-torn Manipur. This comes as political parties have kickstarted campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls in full swing.
Why does this story matter?
The announcement comes just months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress and its Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) allies are looking to unseat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Centre. In November, the party suffered major political defeats when it lost Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh to the BJP. It might attempt to regain lost ground through this yatra.
Yatra to start from Manipur and end in Mumbai
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal told the media on Wednesday that the decision about the yatra was taken unanimously at the Congress Working Committee meeting on December 21. He said Gandhi agreed to hold the 65-day east-to-west outreach march. Venugopal added the party has decided to hold the yatra from January 14 to March 20, 2024, starting in Manipur and ending in Mumbai.
Gandhi to cover 6,200km, traversing 14 states in bus
Per Venugopal, Gandhi will likely cover a distance of 6,200km during the yatra, traversing 85 districts in 14 states. He will travel through Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. However, this edition of the outreach program will be undertaken on a bus, unlike the Bharat Jodo Yatra., which was a foot march.
Bus yatra allows maximum access to people: Venugopal
Further giving details about the upcoming yatra, Venugopal said, "In this yatra, [Gandhi] is going to interact with the youth, women, and marginalized people." On employing buses for it instead of embarking on a foot march, he said, "Bus yatra allows maximum access to the people on the way." However, Venugopal added there will be "short stretches of walking every now and then."
Watch: Venugopal addressing press conference
Know about previous Bharat Jodo Yatra
The Bharat Jodo Yatra began in September 2022 from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, passed through 12 states, and culminated in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, in January 2023. It covered a distance of over 4,000km in about 150 days. The Congress claimed it was aimed at uniting the country by encouraging people to come together against the alleged economic, social, and political issues they were facing.
