Rahul Gandhi holds dialogue with civil society members ahead of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday met representatives of civil society organisations and people's movements for a dialogue on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, scheduled to begin on 14 January from Thoubal district in Manipur.

The attendees raised issues of nyay (justice) affecting groups across India including Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, women, unemployed youth and unorganised workers. The meeting comes ahead of the yatra that he is leading from Manipur to Maharashtra.

Welcoming all suggestions from members of civil society organisations, Gandhi expressed his determination to fight for nyay through the yatra, and invited all those fighting for the cause of justice to use the yatra as a platform.

A Congress statement said Gandhi explained his view that a partnership between all those fighting for justice — in political parties, in organisations and movements, and as individuals — is critical to tackle the injustice being inflicted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP, and the RSS.

The meeting, titled 'Dialogue on Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' was organised by a platform of civil society organisations called Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan. Congress general-secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh also interacted with the attendees.

Gandhi will be leading the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the rechristened second part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, from Manipur to Mumbai, and will be traversing 6,700 km through 15 states covering more than 100 Lok Sabha constituencies.

He will be interacting with several civil society groups and members during his yatra while travelling in a bus, party leaders said.

The Congress has said this is not an electoral yatra but a political one, and will highlight the injustice inflicted on people, and will listen to the people's problems.

The yatra has been timed ahead of the Lok Sabha elections slated later this year and is being seen as the Congress' effort to reach out to people ahead of the general elections.