Gandhi stated during a public rally when the Yatra reached Meghalaya from Assam that the notion that people of all faiths should live in harmony in India and that all communities, languages, and customs should be respected was under threat.
”To protect the idea of India, we walked from the sea in Kanyakumari to the mountains of Kashmir (in 2022-23). We listened to the voices of farmers, labourers and young people”, he said.
After that Bharat Jodo Yatra, many people wanted ”us to listen to the voices of the people living in North-East, Odisha, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. So we decided to go ahead with another Yatra from Manipur to Maharashtra’,” he said.
The previous head of the Congress stated that the reason the Yatra started in Manipur is because the RSS and BJP’s ideology has damaged the concept of Manipur.
“The politics of hatred and violence have torn the state apart, causing hundreds of deaths and thousands of people to lose their property. It’s a complete tragedy! That’s why we wanted to send a message to the rest of India about the pain the people of Manipur is feeling,” he said.
“It is astonishing to me that the Prime Minister of India has not visited Manipur yet. Is Manipur not an Indian state? Are the people of Manipur not part of India?” he said.
Gandhi said that the PM could have put an end to the bloodshed in Manipur in three days if he had wanted to.
“If he had told the Indian army that the violence in Manipur should be stopped, I am confident that the Indian army would have stopped it within days. The truth is, he is not interested in putting an end to the violence in Manipur. The government of India is happy to let Manipur burn and its people suffer,” he said,
He went on, “The Prime Minister has visited so many states, but he won’t go to Manipur.”
The Yatra began in Manipur and has since travelled through Nagaland, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and now Meghalaya.
“We respect your culture, language and traditions and we believe fundamentally that Meghalaya should be ruled from Meghalaya,” the Congressmen said
“The voices of Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal are now being attacked. Your tradition, history and way of life are being attacked by the RSS,” he said.
The Meghalayan government has been dubbed the most corrupt in the nation by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who immediately after made this claim teamed up with the NPP to contest the 2023 assembly elections.
Gandhi claimed that Meghalaya’s Khasi and Garo languages are not covered by the eighth schedule, that the autonomous councils’ authority has been taken away, and that the decentralisation of power is gradually being undone.
“While these are some of the topics we hope to discuss at the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the primary goal is to engage in dialogue and active listening with you. With a subtle allusion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio show, he stated, “I am not here to tell my’mann ki baat,’ but listen to your’mann ki baat.”
Gandhi continued by referring to himself as their “soldier in Delhi.” I shall do everything in my power to fulfil your needs in Delhi.”