Northeast Desk, 13th January: The Congress announced that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, is set to kick off from a private ground in Manipur’s Thoubal district on January 14. This change comes as permission to start from Imphal’s Hapta Kangjeibung ground was granted with certain conditions, prompting a last-minute relocation about 34 km away.
Keisham Meghachandra, Congress’s Manipur president, revealed that despite proposing the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal on January 2, Chief Minister N Biren Singh denied permission during a meeting on January 10. Subsequently, a late-night order granted limited permission for the Hapta Kangjeibung ground with restrictions on the number of participants.
Faced with this situation, a Congress delegation approached Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi, DGP Rajiv Singh, and Imphal East’s DC and SP, learning that only 1,000 participants would be allowed at the venue. With permission still uncertain, Thoubal DC granted approval on Thursday night for the Yatra to begin from a private land in Khongjom area, 34 km away from the initial location.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is set to flag off the Yatra from the revised venue, with no alterations to the planned route. Starting on January 14 in Manipur, the Yatra is scheduled to cover 6,713 km across 110 districts in 15 states, culminating in Mumbai on March 20.