There’s no stopping the whims and fancies of the Congress even if they come at the most questionable times and in the most questionable situation. The party, after losing 3 out of 4 assembly elections, has announced Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0.
On December 21st, the Congress Working Committee gave an opinion that Rahul Gandhi ji should start a yatra from east to west. Rahul Gandhi ji has also agreed to fulfill the wish of the CWC.
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 27, 2023
So the All India Congress Committee has decided to hold a 'Bharat Nyay Yatra' from… pic.twitter.com/fkaD08PlNz
Called the ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’, it will commence from 14th January to 20th March 2024 across 14 states covering 6,200 kilometres and 85 zillas. The yatra will cover the East to West distance from Manipur to Mumbai.
The states through which the yatra will pass are Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
𝗕𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧 𝗡𝗬𝗔𝗬 𝗬𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗔
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 27, 2023
The yatra will cover a distance of 6200 kms, spanning 14 states (Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat & Maharashtra) and 85 districts.
The mode of the… pic.twitter.com/iqdrUsZqf0
The Bharat Nyay Yatra was announced by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal. During the press briefing, the party said that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on 21st December gave an opinion that Rahul Gandhi should start the yatra from east to west.
The way the Gandhi-Congress loyalists put it as was, “Rahul Gandhi ji has also agreed to fulfill the wish of the CWC.” Moreover, the mode of the yatra will be a “bus journey along with some short walks every now and then”.
The timing of the yatra couldn’t be worse given that the party has lost to the BJP in three states and 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in the next few months.
At the CWC meeting, the Gandhi-Congress lashed out on former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh for the electoral loss. However, no responsibility was taken by the so-called high command and their loyalists.
As per reports, Rahul Gandhi said that the party did not campaign properly in the three states and was all praises for efforts in Telangana, where it won. And now, he is embarking on Bharat Nyay Yatra.
Notably, at the CWC, Mukul Wasnik, Kerala MLA Ramesh Chennithala and Tripura legislator Sudeep Roy Barman were the only voice of reason saying that there was not enough time for the yatra.
At the press briefing on Wednesday, the Congress said that Rahul Gandhi is embarking on the new yatra from the experience that he has gathered in the previous Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The yatra is aimed at interacting with the youth, women and marginalised people. “This Bharat Nyay Yatra is going to be our most historic yatra,” said KC Venugopal.
It must be pointed out that the achievements and accomplishments of the Bharat Jodo Yatra remain to be unclear. The three issues that Congress claims Rahul Gandhi had raised have failed to materialise into any result. These so-called issues were economic disparity, social polarisation and political tyranny.
Jairam Ramesh said that the Bharat Nyay Yatra will call for ‘economic justice’, ‘social justice’ and ‘political justice’ for the people of India. This perhaps means that what the Congress and Rahul Gandhi could not achieve in the first round are attempting to achieve in the second.
Safe to say that Rahul Gandhi had raised imaginary issues in his mind that naturally failed to make any point. And a repeat of a similar pattern can be expected with the Bharat Nyay Yatra.
Whether the Bharat Nyay Yatra will spark a new set of controversies or repeat the same ones from the Bharat Jodo Yatra remains to be seen.
