Manipur government has denied permission for Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' that the party was planning to start from the Palace grounds in Imphal on January 14. Congress, however, asserted that it is determined to begin the march from Manipur and has sought permission for another location in the city.
Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal launched a pamphlet and a website of the yatra. Replying to a question, Venugopal said the Manipur government has declined permission for starting the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Imphal's Palace grounds, adding that the party has sought permission to start the march from another location in Imphal.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh had had on Tuesday said that the decision will be taken after taking reports from various security agencies.
"The prevailing law & order situation in the state is very critical. Giving permission to Rahul Gandhi's rally is under active consideration, we are taking reports from various security agencies. After receiving reports, we will take a concrete decision," CM Biren Singh had said.
The Congress was hoping to start Rahul Gandhi-led 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Manipur on January 14, a choice that the party made to "heal the wounds" of state's people affected by ethnic violence.
The Yatra, to be led by MP Rahul Gandhi, starting January 14 as per Congress's schedule, will culminate on March 20 in Mumbai.
Congress had said that the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' will cover a distance of 6,200 km, will begin from Manipur and travel through Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and conclude in Maharashtra. The mode of yatra is through the bus, Congress said.
This is the second leg of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' that Rahul Gandhi on 2022 and culminated on January last year.
Renamed now, the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, aim of which was to "unite India", began on September 7, 2022, from Kanyakumari and passed through 12 states before culminating in Jammu and Kashmir on January 30, 2023.
From walking miles every day to interacting with people from all walks of life, Rahul Gandhi did it all in his five-month long 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. During the course of the yatra, Rahul Gandhi addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street-corner meetings and 13 press conferences, held more than 275 planned walking interactions and over 100 sitting interactions.
