The Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by former party president Rahul Gandhi, is traversing tribal pockets in central and south Gujarat. On Saturday, the yatra passed through Chhota Udepura, Bharuch and Narmada districts, with thousands of workers of the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) joining the march.
Mr. Gandhi addressed a gathering of social workers in Narmada district, highlighting the journey’s focus on social justice, dialogue and welfare of Scheduled Castes, backward classes, and tribals.
In the seat-sharing arrangement between the parties, the Bharuch Lok Sabha seat, with a concentration of tribals and minorities, has gone to the AAP. First-time legislator Chaitar Vasava will be taking on the BJP’s senior-most parliamentarian, Mansukh Vasava, in this seat. Mr. Gandhi also met Mr. Chaitar Vasava during the march.
In Narmada district’s Kuvarpara, Mr. Gandhi had a 40-minute long interaction with about 70 civil society leaders working for the Schedule Caste, Adivasi and farmer movements in the State.
In a post on social media platform X, Congress’ general secretary Jairam Ramesh spoke of their concerns. “The activists highlighted the fact that some Adivasi communities in Gujarat face multiple dislocations in just one lifetime, often being evicted three-four times without adequate compensation and rehabilitation. The activists also spoke about how the housing market in different parts of the state is getting segregated caste wise, and how minorities have become increasingly more vulnerable over the last twenty years,” Mr. Ramesh said.
The activists spoke about the all-pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation over the past two decades in Gujarat, he said. Some civil society institutions, such as cooperatives in the milk sector, had been captured politically, Mr. Ramesh alleged..
Civil society organisations also drew attention to the Congress’ impressive performance in the 2017 Assembly elections, which had lessons for the party’s political mobilisation.
“The Paanch Nyay agenda - comprising Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Nari Nyay, Shramik Nyay, and Hissedari Nyay - is about restoring democracy and making the Government responsive to the people once again,” Mr. Ramesh posted on X.
Mr. Gandhi also held a meeting with State Congress legislators and leaders, seeking reasons for the series of defections of senior Congress party leaders to the ruling BJP. He asked party leaders and legislators to focus on highlighting the issues of backward classes, tribals, Scheduled Castes and other communities, who were being neglected by BJP governments at the State and Centre, he said.
In his brief addresses during the yatra, Mr. Gandhi spoke of rising inequality, questioned the BJP’s governance model in which, he claimed, only a few corporates were “given away national assets and resources on platter”.
