Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today commenced the second phase of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Sivasagar in Upper Assam, marked by the handover of the national flag from state party leaders.
The 8-day long Assam leg of the march will span 17 districts and cover over 800 kms before entering Meghalaya and then West Bengal.
Gandhi will conduct roadshows and visit heritage sites over the next week, resting each night at designated locations across districts.
The route features key stops like Majuli river island, Lakhimpur, Nagaon, birthplace of saint Srimanta Sankardeva, Guwahati and Barpeta among others.
Anticipating clashes, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has cancelled his functions in Upper Assam overlapping with the yatra schedule. He denied allegations of deliberately announcing schemes to disrupt the march.
Sarma said he aims to avoid inconveniencing the administration, emphasizing that Congress rallies coincided with pre-fixed government welfare distribution drives.
The high-profile yatra has opened fresh political battlelines within election-bound Assam, even as locals throng venues to witness the Congress show of strength up close.
