India's main opposition party launches 2nd phase of cross-country march

NEW DELHI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- India's main opposition Congress party on Sunday launched the second phase of a cross-country march ahead of the 2024 India general election.

The "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra," or "India Unifying Justice March," was flagged off by senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi in the northeastern state of Manipur, where ethnic violence had claimed more than 180 lives and rendered thousands homeless.

Gandhi started the march from the state's Thoubal district, pledging to bring peace and harmony to Manipur and taking a potshot at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur.

"Millions of people faced losses, but the prime minister has not come here to wipe your tears, hold your hand or embrace you. Maybe for Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Manipur is not a part of India. Your pain is not their pain," Gandhi said.

"We understand the pain that the people of Manipur have been through. We understand the hurt, the sadness. We will bring back harmony, peace and affection for which this state was known," he said.

RSS is considered an ideological fountainhead of India's ruling BJP.

The march is aimed at covering more than 6,700-km distance in 66 days. It will conclude in India's financial capital Mumbai on March 20.

In September 2022, Gandhi undertook a similar mission by covering a 4,000-km distance in almost 150 days. The march that ended in January 2023 evoked a good response and drew large crowds across the country.