Congress holds 'Nyay Yatra' in Gujarat in bid to revive poll fortunes

Ahmedabad: Aiming to revive its fortune in the state ahead of crucial local elections, the Gujarat Congress on Friday launched its 15-day 'Nyay Yatra' (March for Justice) from Morbi. Senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi are expected to participate in the last leg of the march.

Congress leaders are taking out the march demanding justice for the victims of several tragedies that have rocked the state in recent years including bridge collapse in Morbi where 135 people were killed in 2022, the Rajkot TRP game zone fire case where 27 people were burnt to death, and the boat capsizing in Harni lake in Vadodara that killed 13 students and two teachers, among others.

The march will culminate in state capital Gandhinagar on August 22, where senior leaders like Rahul Gandhi among others are expected to participate. Congress has alleged that the BJP run Gujarat government was shielding the real culprits responsible for the tragedies by catching only small fish. The march is being led by Congress legislative party leader in the assembly Amit Chavda, Seva Dal president Lalji Desai and MLA Jignesh Mevani.

In Morbi, holding tricolours in their about 100 Congress workers and supporters started the march from the suspension bridge over Machchuu river, which had collapsed two years, leading to the drowning of 135 people including many children. On the occasion, several victims of the tragedies also participated holding placards demanding justice.

"Gujarat Nyay Yatra begins. Due to the corrupt leadership of BJP and the connivance of their favorite officers, more than 240 people died due to government negligence in Morbi, Rajkot, Baroda, Surat, Bharuch, Ahmedabad cities of Gujarat. Despite all the efforts of the victim families, the BJP, which is busy saving its corrupt leaders, is not ready to listen to them. With the aim of providing justice to all these victims, Gujarat Congress has started "Gujarat Nyay Yatra" from Morbi which will go till Gandhinagar. As Rahul ji says: “Until we get justice” – this journey, this fight, this movement will continue," Mevani wrote on X in Hindi.

The Congress is planning to launch similar public outreach programmes with a view to revive its fortune in the state. The party has lost seven consecutive Assembly elections while the ruling BJP also ousted the grand old party from all local bodies right from village panchayat to municipalities over the years.

The grand old party also hopes to strengthen its hold in rural areas in the upcoming local body elections. The party found some encouraging results after winning Banaskantha parliamentary seat and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the parliament Rahul Gandhi's visit to party's state headquarters in Ahmedabad, promising the partymen to revive the Congress in next three years before the Assembly polls.

The ruling BJP alleged that the Congress was politicizing the tragedies for electoral gains. It said that the Congress should ask the victims of all accidents whether they have got justice or not. Meanwhile, one of the victims' family of the Rajkot fire accident told a media gathering that he wouldn't participate in the Congress' march as it won't solve any purpose.