"Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is for masses," says Congress; BJP tells party to focus on 'INDI Jodo yatra'

New Delhi [India], January 9 : With the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra set to begin on January 14 from Imphal, Congress has stepped up preparations for it. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday said that its state party in Assam has made elaborate arrangements for its successful implementation, but the BJP dismissed the importance of Yatra and suggested that Congress should focus on uniting the opposition alliance and should start a yatra known as 'INDI Jodo Yatra'.
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is scheduled to start from Imphal on January 14 and cover a distance of 6,713 kilometres, straddling 100 Lok Sabha constituencies and 337 assembly segments and covering 110 districts.
"Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra will be launched by Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge from Imphal, Manipur, on January 14. The yatra is going to be held from Manipur to Mumbai. All Congress leaders in Assam have made elaborate arrangements for its successful implementation. In this yatra, we are focusing on the issues of the common man. This is not a political yatra, it is clearly for the common people. It's a journey to highlight issues," Venugopal said.
Taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's upcoming Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, said that the sole motive of the march was to "relaunch and rebrand" the Wayanad MP. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday said that Rahul Gandhi's yatra is an effort to "re-position" the Congress party."
"The way they have lost three states, the way Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal have no confidence in him and are proposing Mallikarjun Kharge's name, and the way the Congress is slowly losing itself, this is surely a yatra for relaunching and rebranding Rahul Gandhi and re-positioning the Congress party," Poonawala said.
The BJP leader further took a jibe at the opposition bloc, INDIA for failing to reach a consensus on seat-sharing among parties for the upcoming general elections and said that the alliance should instead start a 'INDI Jodo Yatra'.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said that no one takes Rahul Gandhi seriously in the nation.
"Rahul Gandhi is not taken seriously in our country. He will make all sorts of comments in the yatra that'll entertain everyone and, at the same time, ridicule the Congress party," BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad told ANI.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Tuesday that the permission for Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Manipur should have been given by now by CM Biren Singh as the Yatra is not just political but to deliver a message.
"The permission should have been given by now. Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra' is not political but to ensure love and brotherhood in the country and to take forward the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi in Bharat Jodo Yatra. Such a Yatra can be done by any party or leader, I think permission should be given, there is nothing to think about it," said Gehlot.
This comes after Manipur CM Biren Singh's statement that the permission for Yatra can be given only after receiving the reports regarding law and order situation from security agencies. "The prevailing law and order situation in the state is very critical. Giving permission to Rahul Gandhi's rally is under active consideration, we are taking reports from various security agencies. After receiving the reports, we will take a concrete decision," said Biren Singh.
Rahul Gandhi is all set to cover key constituencies, including Amethi, Rae Bareli and Varanasi. The march will culminate in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. The slogan of the Yatra is "Nyay ka haq milne tak".