Gujarat Congress to launch nyay yatra on 9 August; Rahul, Kharge to join

Demanding justice for the victims of various man-made tragedies, the Gujarat Congress is set to launch a nyay yatra (march for justice) on 9 August, a date of profound historical significance in India's freedom struggle. On this day in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi called for civil disobedience against British rule.

The yatra will commence in Morbi and culminate in Gandhinagar, led by Congress Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai, with Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani also joining in. Also expected to join are Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge.

"To end the atrocities and corruption of the BJP, and to provide justice to the oppressed people, 'Gujarat Nyay Yatra' is starting on 9 August, Revolution Day in Gujarat!" Desai announced on X.

Desai said that the yatra will start in Morbi and arrive in Rajkot by the evening of 11 August, where a samvedana sabha (sympathy meeting) will be held. "This yatra will not be greeted with beating drums, but with cotton threads, embodying the Gandhian way," he added.

According to the Gujarat Congress, the yatra will address the Harni boat capsize in Vadodara and the Takshashila fire in Surat. The tragedies of the TRP Game Zone fire in Rajkot, which claimed 27 lives, and the Morbi bridge collapse, resulting in 134 deaths, will also be highlighted during the yatra.

Congress leaders have been in contact with the families of the victims from all four incidents, and they will be joining the yatra, a Gujarat Congress leader said.

Approximately 100 participants will walk the entire route from Morbi to Gandhinagar. The yatra is expected to conclude in Gandhinagar by 22 or 23 August, the Congress said.

Congress MLA and the Dalit face of the Gujarat Congress, Jignesh Mevani, said the party's central leadrship will also join the yatra. “We have invited all leaders to join the yatra. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Khargeji and others are expected to join it, but the dates are not certain yet,” added Mevani.