Northeast central to the idea of India: Rahul Gandhi in Nagaland

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi who began the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur on January 14 and is passing through Nagaland today said that the Northeast is central to the idea of India and therefore he decided to start the Yatra from Manipur.

Addressing the crowd gathered to greet him at Viswema village, 22 km from Nagaland capital Kohima, Rahul said, “It is a very nice, affectionate welcome. It is an honour for me to come here. Last year we did the Bharat Jodo Yatra from south to north. We decided that we should do another yatra that will start in the northeast because the northeast is a very very important central part of the idea of India. That is why we started in Manipur and now we are going through Nagaland and it has been a lovely experience.”

Gandhi earlier paid homage to the hundreds of soldiers of the Allied Forces who fell in the fierce battle of Kohima in 1944 in the Second World War, at the Commonwealth War Cemetery, in Kohima.

The Congress leader who arrived in Khuzama, located 28 km south of Kohima in the inter-state border with Manipur on Monday evening, resumed his yatra from Viswema village early this morning.

He also said that the idea of the yatra is to bring the different cultures, religions, languages and traditions of India together.

Rahul Gandhi will proceed towards Wokha, 75 kms north of Kohima, and spend the night at Chukitong, about 5 kms east of district headquarters Wokha. He will resume his yatra from Chukitong and move towards Tuli and Mokokchung where the Nagaland chapter of the yatra will close.

Earlier, Naga Hoho president HK Zhimomi called on Rahul Gandhi after the latter reached Nagaland yesterday and apprised him of the current status of the Naga peace talks and urged him to raise the issue in the Parliament.

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