The Congress has flagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s failure to provide justice, alleging betrayal of every section of society except crony capitalists, to set the stage for the Nyay Yatra to be launched by Rahul Gandhi next week.

The publicity video for the Yatra, released on Saturday, covers a broad spectrum — from wretched poverty to unemployment, agrarian distress to violence against farmers, an unplanned and insensitive Covid lockdown to bulldozer barbarity, economic inequality to caste discrimination.

“Ab bas (Enough),” the video declares, announcing an awakening of public awareness of people’s haque (rights) and portraying the upcoming electoral battle as a popular uprising against injustice rather than a political contest.

Weaving a “poor versus rich” narrative, the short video says: “Tum asmano
ki baat karte ho, wo zameen par ab bhi anyay jhel rahe hain. Tum daulat walon ke dilon mein ho, wo ab bhi kadmon tale kuchle ja rahe hai (You talk of the skies, they are grappling with injustice on the ground even now. You live in the heart of the rich, they are trampled underfoot even now).”

It adds: “Ab bas. Wo mitti se uthkar aa rahe hain lene — barabari ka haque, rozgar ka haque, samman ka haque. Is bar nyay ho ke rahega. Har kamzor ko haque mil ke rahega. Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Manipur se Mumbai tak. Nyay ka haque milne tak (Enough. They are rising from the ground to demand their right to equality, to employment, to respect. Justice will be done this time. The weak shall get their rights. From Manipur to Mumbai, till justice is delivered).”

The party has recalled Modi’s lofty promises, such as the doubling of farmers’ incomes by 2022 and two crore new jobs a year, and juxtaposed them against images of the farmers’ protest and a minister’s son allegedly mowing down farmers, of people queuing for basic needs and walking hundreds of miles to return home during the lockdown, apart from bulldozers demolishing houses.

These distressing images morph into heartening pictures of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which show Rahul Gandhi walking with massive crowds, with the quest for unity merging seamlessly with a quest for justice.

Rahul posted a message on X, saying: “We are again coming amidst our own, in the battle for justice against injustice and arrogance. Satya ke iss path par meri shapath hai, yatra jari rahegi, nyay ka haq milne tak (I take a vow on this path of truth that the journey will continue till justice is delivered).”

Party communications chief Jairam Ramesh explained it further: “The majority of the people are disappointed and hopeless. There is a drought of employment opportunities. Farmers’ incomes haven’t doubled. Prices and economic inequality are peaking. People are facing injustice. Rahul Gandhi will take out a Nyay Yatra against this injustice.”

At a news conference, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said the Nyay Yatra would draw the nation’s attention to basic issues at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was wandering from sea beaches to Ayodhya for photo shoots.

“People must be fed up seeing his face all the time. You have to see him everywhere, as if he is God. Why does this omnipotent man not go to Manipur and solve the problems there?” Kharge said.

“People are dying in Manipur. Their lives have been destroyed. Prices of essential commodities have soared; unemployment is at an all-time high. Farmers are in distress. Labour laws have been scrapped or changed to turn them (workers) into slaves of the factory owners.

“Modi has dealt with the real problems of the country with amazing irresponsibility and insensitivity. Rahul will bring the focus back on the real concerns of the masses.”

Kharge asserted that Modi never had faith in the Constitution and had unleashed the CBI, Enforcement Directorate, income-tax department and other central agencies on Opposition leaders to intimidate them while protecting those defecting to the BJP.

He said that if governance continued in this manner, democracy would be finished in the country. He appealed to the people to fight for justice, equality and fraternity, which is what he said the Nyay Yatra represented.

Kharge has formed a publicity committee for the party’s Lok Sabha poll campaign that includes Ajay Maken, K.C. Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate and Gurdeep Sappal.