NEW DELHI: The
BJP on Wednesday made light of the Congress‘s proposed “Bharat Nyay Yatra,” which will be launched on January 14 with the objective ‘Sabke liye Nyay’ (Justice for everyone), and said the grand old party cannot fool Indians by coining some slogans.
BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli said “Real nyay” is what Prime Minister Modi has been doing since 2014 by ensuring that development reaches every corner of the country and everyone. The BJP leader cited measures for electrification of every village, free ration for the poor, building of subsidised homes and provision of Mudra loans to substantiate his point.
“All this is happening because PM Modi cares for people. Mere sloganeering does not change anything. What changes is your intent and commitment to implement good policies which Modi is doing,” he said.
The Congress has announced “Bharat Nyay Yatra” led by Rahul Gandhi from Manipur to Mumbai, passing through 14 states and 85 districts from east to west of India in 67 days. The Yatra, which will cover around 6,200 km – mostly on buses with stretches of walking – and conclude on March 20, comes nearly a year after former Congress president Rahul Gandhi completed Bharat Jodo Yatra on foot from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, traversing over 4,000 km in 136 days.
The Nyay Yatra will focus on social, economic and political justice for the people of the country, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference. It will be flagged off by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge from Imphal on January 14 and will pass through Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The BJP also targeted Rahul Gandhi and said the former Congress chief has been seen in the company of people who advocate “tukde-tukde” (division) of India. “The Congress leader goes abroad seeking foreign interference in the country’s democracy,” Kohli alleged.
Union minister and senior BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi made light to the proposed Nyay Yatra and alleged that the Congress ran an unjust system during its many decades in power. Lekhi claimed that all kinds of injustice were inflicted on people, including social injustice under Congress rule.
She asserted that it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has provided justice to everyone by ensuring that development reaches all.
The banking system was a big example of this injustice as bank loans were given due to personal connections to those responsible for NPA (non-performing assets) while Modi has laid the foundation for social justice by including crores of people in the financial system by opening their bank accounts, she said.
The Congress leaders, however, are hopeful about the impact of yatra in the run up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said “The ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’ is anchored in the Preamble’s very first pillar of justice — social, economic and political. The repeated assaults on the Constitution will not be allowed to succeed,” the Congress Rajya Sabha member said.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the proposed ‘Bharat Nyaya Yatra’ is a “new chapter in the national interest” and that the entire country is ready for it. In a post on X, Gehlot said, “‘Nyay’ from East to West, a new chapter in the interest of the country.'”
“After the historic ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from South to North under the strong leadership of Rahul Gandhi ji, now Bharat Nyaya Yatra is starting with the resolve of justice. The participation of all of you will illuminate this Mahayagya of justice.” “The whole of India is ready, Rajasthan is with ‘Nyay’,” Gehlot said.
The Congress Working Committee in its meeting on December 21 had passed a unanimous resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to undertake the second phase of Bharat Jodo Yatra from the east to west.
The party decided to start the Yatra from Manipur to make a political point. Manipur witnessed one of the worst ethnic conflicts between the Kuki and Meitei communities, resulting in more than 200 deaths and leaving nearly 60,000 people homeless since the violence broke out on May 3.
Asked about the rationale behind choosing Manipur as the starting point of the yatra, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said it was an important part of the country and also the party wanted to begin the process of “healing the wounds” of the people of the northeastern state.
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah extended his support to Rahul Gandhi and said “ he is trying to unite the country”. “He is trying to remove the mistrust and hatred between communities. We were part of this effort earlier and we will be part of it again,” Farooq Abdullah said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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