[Politics] Congress march in Imphal: What Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra means for India elections 2024

[Angel of Death]

It comes nearly a year after Mr Gandhi wrapped up a 4,000km-long "unity march" in which he travelled from the country's southern tip in Kanyakumari to Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir in the north. The journey this time would see him travel from east to west, by bus and on foot. He plans to cover 100 parliamentary constituencies across 110 districts in 15 states, many of them electorally crucial, and finish in Mumbai in 66 days. On Sunday, Congress flags fluttered in the air as Mr Gandhi addressed a rally that kicked off his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (United India Justice March) in Imphal city, capital of the north-eastern state of Manipur. Over the past eight months, Manipur has witnessed violent ethnic clashes between its majority Meitei and minority Kuki communities. More than 200 people have been killed and thousands of families displaced by violence. But on the sunny afternoon, thousands of women cheered as top Congress leaders addressed the crowd amid massive security presence. Among them was Waikhom Ibemma Devi, who reflected on the tough life in the state. "Whenever I go to a relief camp, I feel sad looking at the victims," she said. "We understand the pain the people of Manipur have been through. And we promise you, we commit to you, that we will bring back what you valued," Mr Gandhi told the gathering. Many analysts and Congress supporters such as Tehseen Poonawala say last year's unity march had burnished Mr Gandhi's political image, "recharged party workers and gave the Congress organisation, often criticised for being lethargic, a shakeup". They expect the current campaign - aimed at demanding economic, social and political justice for the masses - to do the same.

But journalist and author Neerja Chowdhury says "people like it when politicians come to them to listen but whether this makes a difference to the party's prospects in the elections is debatable". The march comes as the opposition faces the challenge of preventing the widely po[CENSORED]r Prime Minister Narendra Modi from scoring his third consecutive victory. A recent survey has predicted he will retain power. "As the battle for 2024 begins in earnest, the incumbent BJP [Bharaitya Janata Party] undeniably maintains the upper hand," said Milan Vaishnav, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The BJP has long painted Mr Gandhi as a non-serious politician born into privilege. Last week, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Rahul Gandhi is not taken seriously in our country."Following the Congress' recent losses in three state elections, the BJP now rules 12 of 28 states in India with coalition governments in three. The Congress, which ruled India for decades after independence in 1947, has been reduced to three states. The opposition says that under Mr Modi's 10-year leadership, there's been a backslide in democracy and civil liberties, misuse of federal investigative agencies, bulldozing of government institutions and a proliferation of a culture of hate and violence against the minorities and marginalised communities - allegations the government strongly denies. The recent suspension of nearly 150 opposition MPs over their demand for a government statement on a parliament security breach has further strained relations between the two sides. In such a politically charged environment, it's no surprise that some, including former Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha, are calling the next elections a "do or die situation" for the opposition. The party believes that Mr Gandhi's justice march and the choice of strife-torn Manipur to kick off the campaign will help them gain public and media attention.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67911170