The Manipur Government on January 10, 2024, denied permission to Congress to begin its Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, from Palace Ground in Imphal.
The Yatra, to be led by party leader Rahul Gandhi, was set to commence from Imphal on January 14 and culminate on March 20 in Mumbai.
Confirming the development, Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said: “This morning, we have learnt that the Manipur Government has declined permission to start the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the Palace Ground at Imphal. We are looking for an alternative site but we will start from Imphal itself”.
However sources from Congress told The Hindu the Manipur government has given permission for the flag off at Palace Ground but not for the rally.
Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president Keisham Megachandra termed the state government’s decision as “unfortunate” and a “violation of people’s rights”.
Mr. Megachandra said, “We met Chief Minister N Biren Singh and sought permission for the venue of ‘Bharat Joro Nyay Yatra’ at Hatta Kangjeibung in Imphal East district from where the rally is scheduled to be flagged off. However, the chief minister has declined to permit the same.” A Congress delegation met Mr. Singh at the CM Secretariat.
No comment from the state government is available.
Earlier on Tuesday, while addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Mr. Venugopal said Manipur has been chosen to start the march to “heal the wounds” of its people who have been affected by the ethnic violence.
Also Read | Manipur-to-Mumbai march, now called Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, will spend more days in U.P.
The Congress had applied to launch the march from Hatta Kangjeibung in the Imphal East district. The yatra entails traversing through parts of Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat before concluding in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge is scheduled to flag off the programme in the presence of Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States and other party leaders.
With inputs from PTI
