Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday kicked off his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Nagaland’s Kohima, underscoring the need for citizens from smaller states to feel equal to their counterparts across the country.
While addressing the crowd on the Yatra’s third day, Gandhi expressed the mission’s goal of ensuring justice and fostering greater equality and accessibility in politics, society, and the economic structure.
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Nagaland, with an area of 16,579 square kilometres and a population of 19.79 lakhs according to the 2011 Census, stands as the fourth-smallest state in the country in terms of area. Reflecting on the previous year’s Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, he added, “Last year, we did a (Bharat Jodo) yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to bring the nation together, different cultures, different religions, different languages and we had a view that we should do a yatra from east to west.”
The Yatra, which resumed from Kohima after a halt on Monday evening, has garnered attention, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh taking a dig at Prime Minister Modi, citing challenging road conditions in Nagaland.
Reacting to the road conditions in Nagaland, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a jab at PM Modi in a post on X. “The third day of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will soon begin from Viswema near Kohima. Meanwhile, going from last night’s campsite to the starting point of the journey via NH29 is a punishment in itself. The ground realities are far from the Prime Minister’s claims,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the Manipur people his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra crossed the state and entered Nagaland on Monday evening.
Taking it to X, Gandhi wrote “Thank you to the beautiful people of Manipur for the love and warmth you have given us. I will continue to stand with you and fight for you until you have peace and justice.”
In another post, Gandhi described the Yatra as a “balm of unity and love” for the soul of India wounded by the BJP’s politics of division and neglect. He urged collective efforts towards erasing pain and lighting the lamp of hope, affirming the quest for justice.
“Our journey is a balm of unity and love on the soul of India,” he stated, “We will walk together; we will fight together. The right to justice, until we get it”,he said.