 "Bharat Jodo 2.0 kicks off in Manipur; Rahul talks unemployment, inflation")
The Congress on Sunday launched party leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur where the former Congress chief spoke of the people of India facing increasing unemployment, inflation, and growing economic disparity.
At the launch of the 67-day-long Yatra in Manipur’s Thoubal, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state refused Congress permission to hold a public meeting at Imphal’s Palace Ground, party president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "mixing religion and politics to incite people" and for failing to even once in the last eight months visit Manipur, which has experienced ethnic strife. Kharge, who was declared the chairperson of the INDIA bloc of parties on Saturday, said, “The BJP has ‘Ram’ on its lips but carries a knife by their side. They should not have such an approach towards people.”
Gandhi spoke of the 6,713 km Yatra’s message of demanding social, economic, and political justice for the people, flagging growing economic disparity and the creation of monopolies where only a handful of people now had access to the country’s wealth. He said that there was huge unemployment and massive price rise that common Indians faced, while significant sections of the population, such as Dalits and tribals, did not have a say in the governance of the country. The former Congress president said his attempt in the earlier Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir was to listen to the people’s ‘mann ki baat’, their vision of India, and he would do so again during the Nyay Yatra, which will conclude in Mumbai on March 20.
The Congress has invited INDIA bloc leaders to join the Yatra. However, a war of words over seat-sharing continued. On Saturday evening, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee ridiculed the Congress’ desire to contest more seats in Bengal as part of its proposed alliance with the TMC. Pointing to the data from North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) polls, Banerjee said the TMC secured a better vote share than the Congress, the primary opposition in the state, despite contesting the hill council election for the first time. “One might say their (Congress’) seat share aspirations in Bengal are akin to aiming for the stars when they couldn’t quite grasp the ground in their own backyard,” he posted on X.
According to Janata Dal (United) sources, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who on Saturday turned down the offer by other leaders that he become the alliance’s convenor, was unlikely to relent.