Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, an attempt to turn around the party’s fortunes

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 14th Jan.The Indian National Congress (INC)’s well promoted ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ is set to begin this Sunday, January 14. At 12:20 PM IST, the nationwide march will start at the Nyay Maidan in Khongjom, in the Thoubal district of Manipur.

In an effort to boost the party’s standing before the general election, which is slated for later this year, Congress is holding its second “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” following the first one that took place last year.

The Manipur administration has set certain restrictions on the launch of the Congress outreach programme. Reports state that the flagging-off ceremony cannot be longer than an hour and that a maximum of 3000 people may attend. Requirements for the Yatra’s clearance also forbid using anti-community or anti-national chants at the demonstration.

The Congress had originally intended to start the march from Imphal Palace Ground, but they had to change their location to the Thoubal district since the government of Chief Minister N Biren Singh would not approve it.

Congress’s desperate effort

Rahul Gandhi, the former president of the Congress, is the campaign’s face once more. His east-west march, which is expected to take 66 days and 6,700 kilometres to complete throughout 15 states and 110 districts, will end on March 20 in Mumbai.

Gandhi is anticipated to expand on his previous campaign and travel primarily by bus during the campaign trail. Later this year, there will be general elections, and Congress has been trying to make up ground that has been lost. The party’s aspirations of undermining the BJP’s national vote share were further dashed after it lost elections to four assembly states in the previous year.

The Gandhi scion having planned a campaign that was divorced from the realities and ambitions of ordinary Indians, the BJP derided Congress at the time, saying the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ had backfired.

“The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is crucial, not just for the Congress party but also for the people it seeks to engage with, as the political landscape prepares for the 2024 elections. At the inauguration event earlier this month, Jairam Ramesh stated, “This journey is more than just a physical movement; it symbolises a collective effort towards justice, unity, and political engagement.”