Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra begins: In mandir season, Congress says BJP using Ram for votes

Hoping to generate much-needed political momentum to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections barely a couple of months away, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday began his second yatra in a little over a year, outlining an amorphous vision of building a “harmonious and equitable” society as against what he called the BJP’s politics of “violence, hatred and monopoly”.

Over the next two months, the Manipur-to-Maharashtra yatra will cover 6,713 km, mostly by bus. From Imphal to Mumbai, Gandhi will criss-cross 15 states, passing through 100 Lok Sabha constituencies, before reaching Mumbai on March 20-21. The custom-made Volvo bus has been equipped with a hydraulic lift so that he can address crowds en route.

Addressing a public meeting in Thoubal, near Imphal, minutes before the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was flagged off, Gandhi was largely cautious while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took on the BJP on its Hindutva pitch. Both criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting trouble-torn Manipur till date.

Ahead of the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Kharge accused Modi of using Ram for electoral gains and alleged that the BJP was indulging in deception for votes.

“Woh samandar ke upar sair karte firte hai, aur jap karte baithte hai – Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram (He is seen enjoying the sea, sitting and chanting Ram, Ram),” Kharge said. “Mukh mein Ram, bagal mein churi. Don’t do this with the people,” he said, referring to the Hindi idiom that cautions against people whose words and actions differ.

Elaborating, he said, “Everyone remembers God. Everyone has faith in God. There is no doubt about that. But don’t do it for votes. One should not indulge in such deception for seeking votes and for securing