All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary KC Venugopal arrived Kohima on Tuesday to review the preparations for the “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY)”, which would be led by party leader Rahul Gandhi in Nagaland starting January 15. Addressing media persons at Congress Bhavan here after holding a meeting with party members, Venugopal highlighted about the purpose of the upcoming Yatra.
He stated that the 4500km Bharat Jodo Yatra, which was successfully taken out from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, was to spread a powerful message of love and unity throughout the country.
AICC leader asserted that the purpose of the yatra was to advocate the rights of the people especially the youth and women who were the most disappointed section of the society.
Asserting that the wealth disparity between the rich and the poor was increasing daily, Venugopal, however, alleged that the central government was solely focused on elevating a select few to greater wealth while completely neglecting the impoverished citizens of the country.
He asserted that the yatra was designed to provide a larger platform to amplify the concerns, issues, and grievances of the people.
AICC general secretary clarified that the yatra was not driven by political motives but was instead focused on addressing the concerns of the people. Venugopal extended invitation to all like-minded individuals, intellectuals, and members of civil society groups to join the yatra in advocating for those critical issues.
Asked about the potential impact of the yatra on the upcoming Lok Sabha election, the Congress leader clarified that the Yatra was entirely apolitical and holds no connection to elections or parliamentary matters.
However, as a member of the party, he expressed optimism about the upcoming Naga parliamentary elections citing the close contest in the previous election.
Expressing his hope for the forthcoming election, Venugopal said “Let Naga people decide, we have great hope.” To a query on the Centre’s decision to abolish the Free Movement Regime along the India-Myanmar border, he affirmed the party’s principal was never to promote anything against Nagaland. Congress leader maintained that the party has historically stood by Nagaland and would continue to do so.