Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Rahul Gandhi’s Quest for Justice Across India

The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,’ spearheaded by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, commenced on January 14, 2024, marking the party’s ambitious journey through 15 states and 100 Lok Sabha seats, commencing from Manipur’s Thoubal district. This foot march is strategically positioned as a narrative-setting endeavor ahead of the impending Lok Sabha elections, aiming to address the perceived injustices in the country, as expressed by Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh.¹ He said “It is an ideological yatra by a political party but not an electoral yatra.”

Rahul Gandhi, having previously undertaken the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ by walking from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, has embarked on the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,’ covering a staggering 3,500 km across 15 states in 67 days, culminating in Mumbai on March 20, just days ahead of the April-May 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Unlike its predecessor, this yatra adopts a hybrid approach, utilizing buses for long stretches.

Rahul Gandhi said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is needed as the country is going through a period of “great injustice” and asserted that a vision of India based on equitability, brotherhood and harmony will emerge from the yatra.

“Question arises why Nyay Yatra? Because we are going through a period of great injustice in India- social, economic and political injustice’. Injustice against the people of Manipur, the traditions of Manipur, but also injustice across the nation,” he said.

The campaign emphasizes a shift from focusing solely on economic disparities and societal divisions, as in the initial ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ to a holistic approach addressing social, economic, and political aspects for the nation’s citizens. The tagline, “Nyay Ka Haq Milne Tak” (“Until we get our right to justice”), encapsulates the core theme of the yatra, reflecting the Congress’ commitment to justice for various segments of society.

As Rahul Gandhi traverses through states like Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the campaign strategically aims to cover nearly 900 km in Assam, a state electorally lost by Congress in 2016 after a 15-year continuous rule, before focusing on Uttar Pradesh. In the latter, the emphasis is on social justice, particularly addressing Other Backward Classes (OBC) concerns, including the demand for a caste census.

The campaign’s objective is to redirect public attention towards issues such as inflation, unemployment, and the alleged marginalization of social groups, including Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and minorities. Despite assertions of the yatra being ideologically driven rather than electoral, Rahul Gandhi’s challenge lies in reinforcing his position as a credible leader enabling his party to win elections.

The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ spans 355 Lok Sabha seats, covering 65% of the total parliamentary seats in the country. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured victory in 236 of these seats, while the Congress managed only 14. As the yatra progresses through Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, where the Congress recently faced electoral defeats, Rahul Gandhi is expected to reconnect with voters and reinforce the party’s position.²

In the broader context, the campaign is poised to provide the Congress with an extra edge in the Opposition alliance, aiding the party in finalizing seat-sharing arrangements with regional parties. The yatra, while serving as an ideological challenge to the ruling BJP, underscores the delicate balance between ideological positioning and electoral strategy. Obviously, the rebuttals and criticisms of the yatra were never unexpected.

As Assam chief minister Shri. Himanta Biswa Sarma said “Rahul Gandhi (yatra schedule) is coinciding with our welfare dates (dates on which forms are to be distributed for a new scheme). These dates were declared even before we knew he was coming. We are not preventing anyone from attending the yatra, but people, barring from one community, don’t even want to go. People are ashamed of going to Congress meetings.” _³

Also, On Congress’ ‘Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra’, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla says, “This is not ‘Nyay Yatra’ but it is actually Rahul Gandhi’s 15th relaunch yatra. After the defeat in recent elections, it is a rebranding and repackaging yatra for Rahul, and after the Congress has lost its relevance in the INDIA Alliance, it is a repositioning Yatra for the Congress. ⁴

In conclusion, Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ emerges as a multifaceted political strategy, addressing social injustices, reinforcing party connections, and positioning the Congress ideologically, with an overarching goal of charting a viable electoral strategy for the Opposition in the impending Lok Sabha elections.⁵