Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra Highlights: Rahul Gandhi’s yatra kicks off today in West Bengal after a delayed start; to enter Jharkhand later

Amid a series of departures from the Congress, Rahul Gandhi has said that leaders who are like Himanta Biswa Sarma and Milind Deora should part ways with the party, as they do not align with its ideology, news agency PTI reported.

Sarma who had defected to the BJP in 2014 is now the chief minister of Assam, while Deora joined the Shiv Sena headed by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde last month.

Addressing the party's 'digital media warriors' in West Bengal on Thursday night, Gandhi emphasised his commitment to defending the principles upheld by the Congress.

"I want people like Himanta (Biswa Sarma) and Millind (Deora) to leave. I am perfectly ok with it. Himanta represents a particular kind of politics, that's not the politics of the Congress party," he said.

The Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by Gandhi entered West Bengal from Assam on January 25. It is scheduled to reach Jharkhand on Friday.

"Have you heard some of the statements that Himanta had made about Muslims? I don't want to have anything to do with them, as there are certain values I would like to defend," he said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' on Friday resumed in West Bengal's Murshidabad district a couple of hours behind schedule due to the class 10 examination of the state board, senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

The Yatra, which was scheduled to resume at 8 am, started at 10.30 am from Nabagram in Murshidabad district as the district administration asked the party to delay it owing to the exam which commenced during the day, Chowdhury was quoted as saying by news agency PTI reported. 

Chowdhury, the Baharampur MP, claimed that permission to hold the Yatra was refused in neighbouring Birbhum district, through which it is to pass before entering Pakur in Jharkhand later in the day, citing the examination.

Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra got off to a delayed start on Friday after the West Bengal police denied permission for it in the morning, citing the Class 10 state board Madhyamik examination that began at 10 am.

Even as the Congress alleged non-cooperation of the state administration, the convoy later proceeded to Rampurhat in Birbhum district at 10.15 am, without mikes and sound systems.

Prashant Kishor, speaking on Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra said: “I find no logic in Rahul Gandhi doing a Yatra from Manipur months ahead of Lok Sabha polls. At a time when he should be at the centre of where politics happen, he is busy doing a Yatra in the Northeast. Visiting the areas is fine but deserting the headquarters is definitely not a wise move. I don’t know who is advising him on these issues.”

The poll strategist, who has been the architect of many electoral victories, beginning from Narendra Modi’s 2014 campaign to Mamata Banerjee’s 2021 triumph, is today’s guest at the ‘Express Adda’. He is in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express. (Read more)

For 34-year-old Seema Khatun, a beedi worker, the experience was overwhelming as she met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday.

As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of Rahul Gandhi was on its way to Berhampore in Murshidabad on Thursday, the Congress MP made a quick detour and reached Madhupur village in Suti where he visited the house of one Akbar Sheikh in Suti where women make beedi.

“I never saw such a big leader trying to understand our problems, our sorrows,” said Seema, who along with nine other women beedi makers interacted with Rahul for around 15 minutes. (Read more)

Here is today's schedule for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

?? February 2, 2024

Watch the #BharatJodoNyayYatra live on our social media handles.

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— Congress (@INCIndia) February 2, 2024

Amid Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee’s persistent attack on the Congress and CPI(M) — the INDIA bloc partners — a wave of Left workers and supporters joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which reentered West Bengal on Wednesday.

CPI(M) state secretary Mohammed Salim, who met Rahul in Raghunathganj along with the party’s central committee member, Sujan Chakraborty and other leaders, said the Left party joined the Congress Yatra to be part of its fight against RSS-BJP and injustice.

AFTER NEARLY a year, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to join the party’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is scheduled to enter Uttar Pradesh from Chandauli district on February 14.

While the party on Wednesday appointed former MP PL Punia as convenor of the Yatra in Uttar Pradesh and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra as co-convenor, sources said the route of the yatra is “being finalised.”

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday asserted that the arrest of JMM leader Hemant Soren, a key ally of the opposition bloc INDIA, is a result of BJP's perplexity following the resounding success of the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'.

Speaking to reporters in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, Ramesh said the BJP's actions were aimed at intimidating opposition leaders and fracturing the unity of the INDIA bloc.

"BJP's recent actions, including the arrest of Soren, are blatant attempts to derail the momentum gained by the yatra," Ramesh said.

He highlighted a series of strategic moves by the BJP coinciding with the yatra's progress, including the defection of political figures and the arrest of Soren.

Ramesh said, "The sudden departure of Milind Deora to the BJP at the onset of the yatra on January 14, followed by JD(U)'s exit from the grand alliance in Bihar just before it entered the state, and now, the arrest of Hemant Soren on the eve of its arrival in Jharkhand, are clear indications of the BJP's desperation." Targeting BJP's "dirty politics", Ramesh said, "These actions reflect the BJP's underlying fear and confusion. By resorting to such tactics, they seek to suppress opposition voices and undermine the cohesion within the INDIA bloc." He described the arrest of Soren as evidence of the BJP's anti-tribal stance. (PTI)

Claiming that the yatra has been facing obstacles while traversing through Assam and West Bengal, Salim said, "We condemn such obstacles as this is not our political culture." On the opposition INDIA bloc, of which the Congress, Left Front and TMC are constituents, he said a lot of people board a train from the originating station, but one cannot say who will continue to be part of the fight against the BJP and who deboard en route.

"Mamata Banerjee now wants to get down from the train and we welcome it," the CPI(M) leader said.

He claimed that Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was using the name of CPI(M) to hit out at the Congress.
"The Congress is a very big pan-India party, does CPI(M) have such strength? But still she is saying CPI(M) is controlling it," he said.

Banerjee had recently claimed that the CPI(M) was trying to control the opposition bloc's agenda and asserted that the TMC will fight it alone against the BJP in West Bengal.

He claimed that while the real fight is for jobs and farmers' problems, some parties are doing politics over religion.

Salim said that 2024 is a year of struggle for India to decide whether federal structure, secularism, parliamentary democracy will continue to remain in the country. (PTI)

Maintaining that the country is divided between justice and injustice, CPI(M) West Bengal secretary Mohammed Salim on Thursday said the Left party joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' to be part of its fight.

Claiming that TMC was eager to deboard the opposition INDIA bloc 'train', Salim said the CPI(M) would welcome any such move.

Joining the Nyay Yatra at Baharampur in Murshidabad district, the CPI(M) leader claimed that the country is at present divided between justice and injustice.

'We have come to join this fight against injustice,' Salim said.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty and other party leaders also joined the rally. (PTI)

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge responded to the Interim Budget 2024 made public today by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "I thought that the Finance Minister will bring some new schemes for poor and middle class. There will be some announcements to ease their suffering. But nothing like this happened," Kharge said. 

He said there was nothing concrete in the budget and only 'tall and hollow claims' were made. 

"Schemes are launched by changing names. But it is not told what happened to the old promises? How will the new dreams that are being shown be fulfilled?," said Kharge. 

Kharge said the two functions a budget is suppose to fulfill, details of the last year and vision for the coming year, were missing in the budget presented. 

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— Congress (@INCIndia) February 1, 2024

The Congress on Thursday remained optimistic about clinching a mutually an acceptable seat-sharing arrangement with the TMC in West Bengal, despite TMC chief Mamata Banerjee's reluctance to concede seats to the grand-old party in the state.

Addressing reporters in Murshidabad district, once a bastion of the Congress, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh asserted that the paramount objective of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is to unseat the BJP government at the Centre.

"In an alliance, there's a give-and-take dynamics. We are hopeful of reaching a consensus on a joint seat-sharing formula in the state that satisfies all parties involved. Mamata Ji has expressed her commitment to the INDIA bloc and we welcome this stance," Ramesh said.

In Murshidabad, a minority-dominated district, the Congress presently has one out of the three seats.

Ramesh's confidence in getting the TMC along in the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal follows Banerjee's declaration on Wednesday that she would not allocate any seats to the Congress, alleging that the party had aligned with the CPI(M) to bolster the BJP's prospects in the state. (PTI)

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is travelling through West Bengal currently and 'is moving forward on the streets of West Bengal with immense love and public support.' "Gave people the courage to fight for justice and win. With this faith and courage, 'Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra' continues," the Congress handle has posted on social media platform X. 

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Rahul Gandhi interacted with farmers in Bihar, and the Congerss official handle tweeted about his interaction with them. "The rights of farmers are being snatched away in Bihar. Here farmers are not getting MSP and the land acquisition law is being made a mockery of," said the post. 

"We are moving forward only to provide justice to the farmers, our aim is to bring prosperity in their lives," said the post. 

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— Congress (@INCIndia) February 1, 2024

AFTER NEARLY a year, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to join the party’s campaign in Uttar Pradesh as part of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which is scheduled to enter Uttar Pradesh from Chandauli district on February 14.

While the party on Wednesday appointed former MP PL Punia as convenor of the Yatra in Uttar Pradesh and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra as co-convenor, sources said the route of the yatra is “being finalised.”

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today described the way Rahul Gandhi was welcomed in West Bengal as "unprecedented".

"During the visit, Rahul Gandhi met beedi workers and also discussed the steps to be taken for the social security of these workers," he said. 

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— Congress (@INCIndia) February 1, 2024

Nine months after being expelled from the Congress after she accused the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) national president Srinivas B V of alleged harassment, former Assam Youth Congress chief Angkita Dutta has now joined the ruling BJP, barely a few days after Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through the state.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Dutta said she could not get an audience with Rahul Gandhi when the Yatra crossed the state, claiming that it was the trigger for her to join the BJP fold along with her supporters.

ASSAM CHIEF Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s constant attacks on Rahul Gandhi during the Congress leader’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra through the state carried the whiff of the bitterness in which their ties had ended. However, sources close to Sarma say, the CM’s offensive was also strategic, as it kept Rahul caught up in trying to firefight the Assam situation.

Rahul entered Assam shortly after launching the second leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Manipur, a state where a nine-month-long internal conflict has put the BJP government on the back foot. There was some apprehension in BJP circles that Rahul would carry the momentum of the Manipur kick-off into Assam, and generate a good response, especially among the Muslim community in Assam, that makes up more than 35% of the state’s population. (Read more)

Here is today's schedule for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

?? February 1, 2024

Watch the #BharatJodoNyayYatra live on our social media handles.

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— Congress (@INCIndia) February 1, 2024

The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi marches towards Mursidabad from Malda, West Bengal. The first phase of the yatra in West Bengal concluded on Monday, as it stepped into Bihar from Islampur. It re-entered West Bengal through Debipur, Ratua in Malda district.

On a day that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and her tour of northern West Bengal districts both criss-crossed Malda district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee indicated she was in no mood for letting up in her attacks on the INDIA bloc.

Tearing into the Congress, Mamata alleged that the party and the CPI(M) were working together to “clear the ground for the BJP” in the state in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, adding that only the Trinamool Congress was fighting against the saffron outfit.

Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah appeared before Jorhat police Wednesday after receiving a summons for a case registered against the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Last week, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Borah received a notice from the Jorhat police directing him to appear before it on January 31, failing which he will be liable for arrest.

As Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Wednesday reentered West Bengal from Harishchandrapur in Malda district, a wave of CPI(M) workers and supporters joined the Congress leader.

Throughout the yatra’s route in Malda district, once a Congress stronghold, CPI(M) supporters were seen carrying the party’s red flags and shouting slogans for Rahul.