Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
DateJanuary 14, 2024 (2024-01-14) – March 20, 2024
Duration~66 days
LocationIndia
TypePadayatra, protest
ThemePolitical movement, social movement
CauseEconomic problems and social disharmony
MotiveTo fight against injustices such as unemployment, inflation, the rich-poor divide and issues related to farmers.[1]
Organized byIndian National Congress, Rahul Gandhi
ParticipantsPoliticians, citizens, civil society organisations, political activists
Websitebharatjodonyayyatra.com

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (lit. 'India Unity and Justice March') is an ongoing movement being led by the Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi which started on 14 January 2024 from Thoubal in Manipur and will end on 20 March 2024 in Mumbai spanning east-west of India.[2] This campaign is aimed for the party's electoral engagement across the breadth of the country and is seen as a strategy for the upcoming national elections. This political tour is sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra.[3][4] Unlike the last time though, the Yatra will not be entirely on foot and would be done in hybrid mode.[5] For the long parts of the journey, the party will use buses. The change is due to time constraint imposed by the general election as the health concerns of the party's elderly leaders.

The Congress Party had said that the initial Bharat Jodo Yatra brought attention to economic disparity, societal division, and an autocratic approach to governance. In contrast, the upcoming Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will prioritize the pursuit of social, economic, and political aspects for the nation's citizens.[6]

The slogan (tagline) of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is Nyay Ka Haq Milne Tak ("Until we get our right to justice").[7]

Plan

The course of action was announced on 27 December 2023 by Congress MP and party general secretary (organisation) K. C. Venugopal after Congress Working Committee's deliberation on 21 December 2023.[8] This Indian National Congress campaign for the 2024 Indian general election will have Rahul Gandhi utilizing a bus for transportation, while also engaging in short walks for certain distances which would cover 14 states and 85 districts. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will inaugurate this political campaign, aiming to encompass a significant number of states that were previously not included in the Bharat Jodo Yatra conducted earlier. The 66-day-long journey will span a distance of 6,200 kilometers, passing through Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat before finally concluding in Maharashtra.[9]

In total, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra aims to encompass 355 Lok Sabha seats across 6,713 kilometres (4,171 miles) which accounts for approximately 65% of the entire parliamentary seats in the nation. During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP emerged victorious in 236 out of these 355 seats, while the Congress party secured a mere 14 seats.[1] It was then rechristened as the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, with regard to the previous Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Congress initially had planned the march from Arunachal's Pasighat to Porbandar in Gujarat, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, but the ethnic violence in Manipur since May prompted it to change its plan.[10]

Aim

The Congress party explained the reason behind selecting Manipur as the initial destination for the yatra, stating that the objective of this campaign is to initiate the process of "mending the wounds" of the inhabitants of the northeastern state. The 2023 Manipur violence had recently experienced a severe bout of ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities, which led to a staggering death toll of over 200 individuals and left approximately 60,000 individuals displaced from their homes.[6][11]

As Rahul Gandhi embarks on his journey through the Hindi dominated states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, there will be a renewed emphasis from the Congress party on promoting social justice. This is set to be achieved by addressing the issue of caste census and advocating for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to receive their fair and equitable share in the country's development. By prioritizing social justice, the Congress party may also aim to construct an alternative narrative to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party's intentions of capitalizing on the grand inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on January 22.[6]

The matter of unemployment and inflation will hold significant importance in this electoral campaign. These two factors were highlighted by Mr. Gandhi as the primary causes for the two young individuals trespassing the Parliament security and leaping into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery.[6]

Leaders of the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance are expected to support this national campaign when Rahul Gandhi reaches out to them in their own constituency.[1]

More than one leader had made headlines last year due to the exertion they faced, keeping up with the superbly fit Rahul Gandhi.[12]

Schedule

All India - Tentative Yatra Schedule
State Entry Date Distance Covered (km) No. of days[lower-alpha 1] Districts Covered Key places
Manipur 14 January 107 1 4 Imphal
Nagaland 15 January 257 2 5 Kohima
Assam 18 January 833 8 17 Jorhat, Dispur, Guwahati
Arunachal Pradesh 55 1 1 Itanagar
Meghalaya 5 1 1 Shillong
West Bengal 523 5 7 Cooch Behar, Siliguri, Murshidabad
Bihar 425 4 7 Araria, Purnia, Sasaram
Jharkhand 804 8 13 Dhanbad, Ranchi, Jamshedpur
Odisha 341 4 4 Jharsuguda
Chhattisgarh 536 5 7 Raigarh, Ambikapur
Uttar Pradesh 1,074 11 20 Varanasi, Prayagraj, Amethi, Raebareli, Lucknow, Bareilly, Aligarh, Agra
Madhya Pradesh 698 7 9 Guna, Ujjain
Rajasthan 128 1 2 Dholpur, Banswara
Gujarat 445 5 7 Dahod, Mandvi
Maharashtra 479 5 6 Malegaon, Nashik, Thane, Mumbai
Total 6,713 66 110

Reactions

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party stated that the citizens of India cannot be deceived by the creation of catchy slogans. BJP reiterated and emphasized that it is the Modi-government which has been delivering "real nyay (justice)" since 2014. It was however taken with mixed reactions on social media.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kumar, Devesh (29 December 2023). "Rahul Gandhi to hit the road again: Bharat Nyay Yatra explained in numbers". mint. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Rahul Gandhi sets off on Yatra 2.0 before Lok Sabha polls, focus on Hindi heartland states, SC, ST belts".
  3. ↑ "Eye on Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi to launch Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Nyay Yatra on January 14". The Indian Express. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi to Start Bharat Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Mumbai on January 14". The Wire. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Want to travel with Rahul Gandhi on 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' bus? Get a 'special ticket'".
  6. 1 2 3 4 Phukan, Sandeep (27 December 2023). "Rahul Gandhi to lead Bharat Nyay Yatra across 14 States". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Congress unveils logo, slogan and aim of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Key points". mint. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Rahul Gandhi to lead two-month-long Bharat Nyay Yatra from Imphal to Mumbai". Scroll.in. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  9. 1 2 Mitra, Chandrajit. "'Manipur To Mumbai': Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' From Jan 14". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Cong's 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' renamed as 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'. Here's why". Hindustan Times. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ↑ Chatterji, Saubhadra (27 December 2023). "Rahul Gandhi to undertake Manipur-Mumbai Bharat Nyaya Yatra from January 14". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Congress Tweaks Name Of Rahul Gandhi's March 2.0". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 January 2024.

Notes

  1. ↑ Approximately
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