A still of Rahul Gandhi on Bharat Jodo Yatra
Rahul Gandhi will embark on a 6200km long journey from Manipur to Mumbai starting on 14th January. The Bharat Nyay Yatra will be undertaken by the congress leader right after the new year begins which will cover 82 districts and 14 states. Earlier the congress leader had embarked on The Bharat Jodo Yatra from 7th September 2022 to 30th January 2023 which was taken from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Many doubt the success of his earlier Yatra yet many have praised the leader for his attempt to connect with the public. These Yatras are focused on the political leader to discover the roots of India and get in touch with the reality of the public and their day-to-day life and struggles. This yatra like the earlier one will hopefully provide a chance for the public to also rediscover Rahul Gandhi and may or may not inculcate faith and following for the Congress party. The Yatra will not be on foot this time rather it will be a bus journey with frequent walking stretches. The journey will cover Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. It will end in the capital of Maharashtra i.e. Mumbai.
The yatra will commence from Imphal in Manipur and it will be inaugurated by the party’s President, Mallikarjun Kharge. The decision to start the yatra from Manipur was taken because of the pain and suffering that Manipur has witnessed in the last year and the ethnic clashes that took place in the state. Many violent incidents occurred in the region and many lost their loved ones in these tragedies. The Congress leaders said that they are attempting to heal the wounds of the people and help them feel supported.
The success of the yatra will only be determined once the journey is completed in March. Many leaders are asking if this Yatra will help the Congress Party to achieve votes or will it just be an attempt to build up the public image of Rahul Gandhi and his party. Of course, nobody can know for sure about the intentions of the yatra other than the party’s attempt to connect with the general public and provide them with a sense of belonging and support. The BJP leaders certainly have their doubts and have their own opinions on this. Whether the yatra will achieve its required objectives or not will only be seen after it is completed on March 20, 2024.
~ByGursharan Kaur Sanhotra