Congress kicks off yatra from Manipur, Rahul attacks Modi

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday kickstarted the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Thoubal district in ethnic strife-torn Manipur with a promise to restore "peace and harmony" in the northeastern state, saying his east-to-west march cutting across 15 states will highlight the social, economic and political injustices prevailing in the country.

Addressing a public meeting at a private ground in Khongjom before embarking on the yatra, Gandhi said the situation in Manipur shows that perhaps for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the northeastern state is not a part of India. "I visited Manipur on June 29 last year and what I saw and heard then, I had never heard or seen. I have been in politics since 2004. But it was the first time I saw a collapse of governance in a state. Manipur is now divided with hatred spread in every corner," Gandhi said.

"Lakhs were affected, and people got killed in front of their family members. But the Prime Minister hasn't visited Manipur to erase your tears, to embrace you. Maybe for him, the BJP and the RSS, Manipur is not a part of India, and your pain is not his pain," he added.

Manipur has lost what it holds precious because of the politics of hatred of the BJP-RSS, the Wayanad lawmaker said, adding that the Congress "will bring back the harmony, peace and affection that the state has always been known for." "We are here to listen to you, share your pain, and present a new vision of India that is one of harmony and equity," the former Congress chief said. "We don't want to tell you about our 'mann ki baat' but to hear about your 'mann ki baat," he said in an apparent dig at PM Modi and his monthly radio show, Mann Ki Baat. "We want to know about your pain. We want to share a vision of brotherhood and harmony."