New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Sunday kickstarted his second large-scale outreach programme, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, from ethnic strife-torn Manipur's Thoubal district. The yatra began at noon from the Khongjom War Memorial.


The Congress' foot march is significant in light of the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, which has claimed the lives of nearly 180 people since May.






After launching the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Manipur, Rahul Gandhi promised that Congress will bring back "peace and harmony" to the northeastern state.


"You (people) have lost what you have valued but we will find what you have valued once again and bring it back to you. We understand the pain the people of Manipur have been through. We understand the hurt, the loss and the sadness you have been through. We promise you that we will bring back what you have valued, we will bring back the harmony, the peace, the affection that this state has always been known for," he said.






He further claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP don't consider the northeastern state as part of India.


He stated, "I'm in politics since 2004 and for the first time I visited a place in India where the entire infrastructure of governance has collapsed. After 29th June, Manipur wasn't Manipur anymore, it got divided and hatred was spread everywhere, lakhs of people suffered loss. People lost their loved ones in front of their eyes. And till now, the Indian PM has not come here to wipe your tears and hold your hand. It is a shameful thing. Maybe for PM Modi, BJP and RSS, Manipur is not a part of India..."






"Manipur is a symbol of BJP's politics, Manipur is a symbol of BJP and RSS's hatred. Manipur is a symbol of BJP's viewpoint and ideology," he added.


The Yatra will visit 100 Lok Sabha segments across 15 states before concluding in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. Aside from Manipur, the yatra will travel through four northeastern states: Nagaland (257 kilometres on two days), Arunachal Pradesh (55 kilometres in one day), Meghalaya (five kilometres in one day), and Assam (833 kilometres in eight days).


Following that, the yatra will visit West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.


Earlier, Kharge unveiled the bus on which Gandhi and other Congress leaders will travel from Manipur to Mumbai as part of the yatra.