Khunti: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to tribal leader Birsa Munda in Khunti during the ongoing Jharkhand leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Tuesday.
Taking to the social media platform, X, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The 24th day of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra began at 8 am today with Rahul Gandhi garlanding the statue of Dharti Aba Bhagwan Birsa Munda in Khunti. He also met and honoured the fourth generation of Bhagwan Munda's family."
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"Khunti district is the birthplace of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, who was one of the revolutionary leaders of the Indian Independence Movement and a strong proponent of the principles of self-rule, democracy, and justice. His ideals continue to be relevant today, and a source of strength and inspiration for us as we resist the Anyay-kaal of the last 10 years," Jairam wrote on X.
Currently, the yatra, which has already covered five states, mostly by bus, is anchored in Jharkhand, where the newly formed government led by Champai Soren survived a floor test in the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday.
Speaking on the victory of the alliance in the floor test Rahul Gandhi criticised the BJP claiming that the party was anti-tribal.
"Hemant Soren ji said a very touching thing in the Assembly today, "When we came out of the forest, sat next to them, their clothes got dirty". This is not just a statement, it is the pain of the entire tribal society. The BJP is not tolerating the fact that there is a tribal Chief Minister in the state. Today Jharkhand has given a message to the entire country that the power of the people cannot be subdued by intimidation. This is a victory for the unity of the poor and the tribals, congratulations to all of you" Rahul Gandhi said.
Jharkhand saw a brief period of political crisis following the arrest of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in an alleged land "scam" by the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday evening following seven hours of grilling. Champai Soren, a senior JMM leader took oath as the Chief Minister on Friday afternoon.
Congress is an an ally in the ruling alliance of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rolled out from Manipur's Thoubal on January 14. The yatra will cover over 6,700 kilometres over 67 days, traversing through 110 districts. It will cover a distance of 6,713 km, straddling 100 Lok Sabha constituencies and 337 assembly segments and covering 110 districts.
The yatra will conclude in Mumbai on March 20, after 67 days.
A follow-up to the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' which saw Rahul Gandhi cover more than 3,000 kilometres on foot--from Kanya Kumari to Srinagar--the Yatra 2.0 is following a hybrid format. (ANI)