Cong awaits Manipur govt's consent to use ground in Imphal for Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Imphal: AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal (Organisation) on Monday said that they are waiting for the permission to use the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal East district on January 14 to launch the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by former party President Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress leaders met Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on Monday and requested him to provide permission to hold the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra launching meeting at the Hapta Kangjeibung ground.

The Chief Secretary assured the Congress leaders that they will be informed about the granting of the permission very soon.

A Congress leader said that the party applied to the government on January 2 seeking permission for the launching of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra at Hapta Kangjeibung in Imphal.

Claiming that the Yatra is not a political programme or any election campaign, Venugopal said it demands justice for the women, youth, farmers and poor and this Yatra will be historic as well.

“Don’t make politics by denying the permission of the ground,” the Congress leader indirectly told the BJP government.

Accompanied by Manipur state Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh and former three-term Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh (2002-2017), Venugopal told the media person that they do not want to politicise the issue as the entire country is not looking towards Manipur.

“I am from Kerala. People from Kerala are also astonished about the grave situation prevailing in Manipur. Manipur needs justice, that’s why the Yatra will be started from this state. We want to ensure the future of Manipur and the state needs healing into its grave wound,” Venugopal said.

He said that from Manipur, the Yatra will go to Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya and will reach Mumbai by covering 6,500 km in 15 states.

Rahul Gandhi’s earlier Bharat Jodo Yatra, which covered 4,500 km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, evoked tremendous success and got unprecedented public response.

The Congress Rajya Sabha member said that no political party and no political leader in India conducted such a historic campaign.

Venugopal said that a preparatory meeting was held in Imphal to make success of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which according to the Congress leader will be another successful event.

"We are very hopeful that there will be no politics over this yatra. The Manipur Chief Minister should understand the importance of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and think about Manipur first and not BJP politics," he said.

State party chief Meghachandra said that on January 14 several leaders of the party, including chief ministers and MPs from across the country will gather in Manipur for a peaceful rally.

Keeping the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in mind, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra by Rahul Gandhi will be launched from Imphal on January 14 and culminate on March 20 in Mumbai.

Manipur is devastated by over eight month long ethnic violence between the non-tribal Meitei and tribal Kuki-Zo community and over 185 people have been killed and over 1,500 people injured and displaced over 70,000 people of both communities so far.