IMPHAL, 12 Jan: The Congress on Friday said that the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) will be flagged off from a private ground in Manipur’s Thoubal district on 14 January, instead of state capital Imphal.
The Congress’s Manipur president Keisham Meghachandra said that permission was sought to begin the yatra from the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal but the state government gave the go-ahead with certain conditions, forcing to change the venue at the last moment.
“We had proposed to the state government on 2 January that Hapta Kangjeibung public ground in Imphal be allowed for flagging off the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. We had also announced that the yatra will start from Imphal, and culminate in Mumbai,” he said.
“We met Chief Minister N Biren Singh in this regard on 10 January but were told that the permission will not be given. Later that night, an order was issued, which gave permission for Hapta Kangjeibung ground but with a limited number of participants,” he added.
Meghachandra said that a team of the state Congress again met Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi in the presence of DGP Rajiv Singh and the DC and the SP of Imphal East.
“We were told that not more than 1,000 people will be allowed at the venue. As the permission was not given, we were in an alarming situation. Late on Thursday night, Thoubal DC gave permission for flagging off the yatra from a private land in Khongjom area of the district,” he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will flag off the yatra from there, he said.
After beginning in Manipur on 14 January, the yatra will culminate in Mumbai on 20 March. It is scheduled to cover 6,713 kms in 67 days while passing through 110 districts in 15 states.
‘Saho mat, daro mat’
Meanwhile, the Congress on Friday said that the BJNY is being organised by the party to raise voice against the “injustice” of the last 10 years, as it released a “nyay anthem” with the tagline “Saho mat, daro mat” (do not suffer, do not be scared).
The “anthem” was shared on all the social media handles of the party with a video that features protesting women wrestlers, glimpses from Rahul Gandhi’s Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Congress leader’s interactions with farmers and labourers.
Sharing the “anthem” on X, Gandhi said in a post in Hindi: “We will reach every house until we get the right to justice. Street, locality, till Parliament, until we get the right to justice. Do not suffer, do not be afraid!”
In a post on the microblogging platform, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is to raise voice against the injustice of the last 10 years. Its theme song has been released today. Listen and share it with as many people as possible.” (PTI)