Calling the Biren Singh-led BJP government “insecure” for not granting permission to flag off the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from Imphal East district, the Congress party said that the party won’t be “bogged down” by the lackadaisical attitude of the state government.
Speaking to Financial Express Online, Szarita Laitphlang, AICC secretary-in-charge, said that the Congress party had applied for permission to flag off the Yatra from the historic Palace Grounds in Imphal East on January 2, and eight days later the state government declined permission.
“This shows that the state government is so insecure that they didn’t want to give permission, and when they granted permission, it was a conditional one that not more than 1,000 people could attend the programme…We will now finally flag off the Yatra from a private ground in Thoubal district. Allowing just 1,000 attendees makes no sense,” she said.
“We are not going to be bogged down by the lackadaisical attitude of the state government as it is so insecure,” the Congress leader said.
Alleging “step-motherly” treatment by the state government, Laitphlang said that the permission to use multi-purpose halls, where lunch was to be prepared, has also been denied.
“One can imagine the cheap tactics they are resorting to. They are trying to paint a false picture to the nation and the rest of the world. The state has been burning since May last year and the state government has not done anything yet. Every day there are killings,” she said.
Laitphlang said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is not a political yatra, but a Yatra for “justice”, and the intention to start it from Maniput is to send out a message of peace and unity, and most importantly for a “healing touch”.
Taking a dig at the BJP, calling it the “Bharatiya Jhootha Party”, the Congress leader said that all the party does is “digress and divert”.
“The BJP only converts government programmes into political meetings, this is what they are good at. The ‘Bharatiya Jhootha Party’ can go to any extent and lie, and have their way out. Nobody is talking about violence in Manipur, women’s safety in India, unemployment, price rise. All the saffron party wants to do is digress and divert,” she said.
Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders will arrive in Manipur on January 14 and will be at the venue at 12.30 PM, and over 50,000 people are expected to attend the event in Manipur, she said.
The Congress on Friday said that the Yatra will be flagged off from a private ground in Manipur’s Thoubal district on January 14, instead of the capital Imphal.
Congress’ Manipur president Keisham Meghachandra said that permission was sought to begin the Yatra from Hapta Kangjeibing ground in Imphal but the state government’s conditional permission, forced the party to change the venue at the last moment.
The east-to-west Yatra is set to commence from Thoubal district in Manipur on January 14 and will end in Mumbai on March 20. It is scheduled to cover 6,713 km in 67 days. The Yatra, which will be mostly by bus rides as well as ‘pad yatra’ (foot march), will pass through 110 districts in 15 states.