News Desk TTP
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi continued his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam on Friday, despite the BJP-led state government’s attempts to stop him and his supporters from joining the march. Gandhi, who is leading a 6,713-km-long march across 15 states to highlight the issues of the people and demand justice, said that no one can stop the yatra and challenged the BJP to arrest him.
The yatra, which commenced from Manipur on January 14, entered Assam on Thursday from Nagaland. Gandhi was welcomed by thousands of people, including members of the Mising community, who demanded protection under the Sixth Schedule and recognition of their language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Gandhi also met a group of environmental activists, intellectuals, and affected people from the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, who discussed the ecological destruction caused by the construction of multiple dams in the region.
On Friday, Gandhi started his journey with a symbolic boat ride from Nimatighat in Jorhat district to Aphalamukh Ghat in Majuli district, the world’s largest inhabited river island. He was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Jitendra Singh, Bhupen Kumar Borah, and Debabrata Saikia. He addressed a public meeting at Majuli, where he slammed the BJP government for betraying the people of Assam and neglecting their rights and aspirations.
He also criticized the BJP government for granting remission to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape and murder case, and said that the Congress will not allow such injustice to happen. He said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is a fight for the dignity and honour of the people, and urged them to join the Congress in its mission to restore democracy and federalism in the country.
The yatra, however, faced several hurdles and obstacles from the BJP government, which tried to prevent the people from joining the march and threatened the Congress leaders with FIRs and imprisonment. The state police also filed an FIR against the yatra for deviating from its approved route and violating the Covid-19 protocols. The Congress leaders, however, dismissed the allegations and said that they have not broken any rules or laws.
The Congress leaders also accused the BJP government of misusing the office of the former President Ram Nath Kovind, who is heading a high-level committee to study the feasibility of the idea of ‘One Nation, One Election’. The Congress has opposed the idea, saying that it is against the Constitution and federalism. The Congress leaders demanded that the committee be dissolved and the idea be abandoned.
The yatra will pass through 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in 15 states, mostly in buses but also on foot, and culminate in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. The yatra aims to highlight the issues of the people, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, the farmers’ protests, and the border disputes, and demand justice from the Modi government.
