‘Foot Fractured, Spirit Intact’: On Bharat Jodo Yatra, This Manipur Congress Leader Walks the Talk

At the resting camp of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kothur in Telangana, the yatris take rest before the yatra resumes at 4 pm. People from all over the country, ranging across ages, rest after the rigorous walk for 53 days. In one corner, Jairam Ramesh is seen absorbed in his phone. While Rahul Gandhi prepares for a press conference, the yatris lie scattered in their tent, chatting with fellow travelers or just resting. Amid the activity is a Manipuri leader with a fractured foot.

“I could not rest in the container with so many of my fellow yatris walking. My foot swells and throbs after walking every day, but my enthusiasm to take part in the yatra overshadows the pain," says Kim Haokip Shingnaisui, secretary of All India Mahila Congress.

She fractured her foot after she fell down due to a jostling crowd during the BJY in Kerala. After receiving medical attention, she was advised rest, but she chose to join the yatra. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is similar to walking with a condensed version of India. There are people from all walks of lives and all states. I simply could not stay cooped up in the container. So I threw caution to the wind one day and started walking."

She says her struggles are nothing compared to what Rahul Gandhi had seen. “He lost his grandmother when he was a child, and his father when he was a young man. Today, he is walking thousands of kilometres to listen to people and know about their issues. My pain is nothing compared to what he has undergone," adds Kim.

Kim rose to the position of All India Mahila Congress secretary after working as a grassroots leader in her state. Hailing from a political family in Koirengei village in Imphal East, she even contested an election against her father, Y Haokip.

“My father was a Congress MLA and he jumped ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Despite my family not supporting me, I contested the last elections against my father. We both lost. I never regretted my decision as I strongly believe that the Congress is the only party that can keep India together."

Food has been a challenge for this yatri. Her native diet primarily comprises boiled food, and she took time to get used to the different cuisines in other states. As her birthday and Christmas approaches, she shares that this is the first time she will spend these occasions away from her family.

“I have three children and they are worried about me. My mother tells me she is praying to God every day to provide me the strength to complete this yatra with a fractured foot. It is Rahul Gandhi’s vision and God’s grace that keep me going."

‘CONGRESS ANTITHESIS TO HATRED’

At a press meet, Gandhi reiterated that the aim of the Bharat Jodo Yatra is to spread the message of amity and unity among Indians from all sections of society. Brushing away any possibility of joining hands with the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi or the now renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi, he said: “The TRS is engaged in rampant corruption. It is looting money from people and spending it on elections. The Congress does not support these activities."

Commenting on the national ambitions of chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Gandhi said: “The CM has the liberty to imagine anything he likes. He can float a national party or even a global one to fight elections in the US or China. No one is stopping him."

He said that “the BJP stands for hatred, which arises out of fear". “Mahatma Gandhiji taught us to confront our fears and take the path of courage. Hatred is nothing but cowardice."

He promised that after coming to power, the party will concentrate on job creation, providing autonomy to central institutions and prevent accumulation of wealth in the hands of a select few. ​

Read all the Latest Politics News here