Imphal: In a recent development, the Congress announced that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, will commence its journey from a private ground in Manipur's Thoubal district on January 14. Contrary to the initial plan of starting in the state capital Imphal, Congress's Manipur president, Keisham Meghachandra, revealed that permission for the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal was granted with restrictions, prompting a last-minute change in venue.
"On January 2, we proposed the Hapta Kangjeibung public ground in Imphal for flagging off the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Despite our announcement and meeting with Chief Minister N Biren Singh on January 10, permission was denied initially. Subsequently, permission for Hapta Kangjeibung ground was issued but with limitations on the number of participants," explained Meghachandra.
Facing constraints with a cap of 1,000 attendees, the state Congress engaged with Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi, DGP Rajiv Singh, and officials from Imphal East. Meghachandra stated, "Given the situation, Thoubal DC granted permission late on Thursday night to initiate the Yatra from a private land in Khongjom area of the district."
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is set to flag off the Yatra from this new location. Commencing on January 14 in Manipur, the Yatra is slated to conclude in Mumbai on March 20, covering 6,713 km across 110 districts in 15 states over a span of 67 days.
—Input from Agencies