Permission For Rahul Gandhi’s Rally Under “Active Consideration”: Manipur’s Biren Singh

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said giving permission to Congress’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, which is scheduled to begin on January 14 from Imphal, is under “active consideration” and a decision will be taken on it after receiving reports from security agencies.

Mr Singh said the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur is very critical.

“Giving permission to Rahul Gandhi’s rally is under active consideration. We are taking reports from various security agencies. After receiving reports from them, we will take a concrete decision,” he said, responding to a question from reporters regarding it.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati earlier in the day, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said that his party is yet to receive permission for the programme, with the Manipur government informing it that the application has been sent to the Centre for “approval” The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ would traverse 6,713 km in buses and on foot. It will cover 110 districts, 100 Lok Sabha seats and 337 assembly segments in 66 days. After commencing from Imphal on January 14, it will culminate on March 20 in Mumbai.

The Congress has applied to launch the march from Hatta Kangjeibung in the Imphal East district.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge is scheduled to flag off the programme in the presence of chief ministers of Congress-ruled states and top leaders of the party.

Meanwhile, on the situation in Moreh, the chief minister said that “mass combing operations” were underway by security forces.

“Combined forces of Assam Rifles, BSF and state police are working to nab the armed criminals involved in attacking the security forces,” Singh said.

Moreh at the India-Myanmar border has been witnessing fresh violence since the beginning of the year with militants engaging in gunfights with security forces.