Haven’t been invited, says Akhilesh Yadav on Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra; Congress clarifies

Speaking to reporters, Yadav on Saturday alleged, "The problem is that many big events take place, but we don't get an invite."

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: February 4, 2024 05:05 PM IST

3 min read

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', in Dhanbad, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. (PTI Photo)

At a time when the Opposition’s INDIA alliance have been hit with multiple rifts, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that he has not been invited for the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra yet. Last month, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had also made a similar claim when the Yatra was about to enter West Bengal.

The Congress, however, on Sunday, said that yatra’s detailed route and programme in Uttar Pradesh will be shared with INDIA alliance constituents after it is finalised in a day or two.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav, on Saturday, had said, “The problem is that many big events take place, but we don’t get an invite.”

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Tagging Yadav’s video, Jairam Ramesh, Congress party’s Communications secretary in-charge replied on X (formerly Twitter), “The detailed route and programme of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh is being prepared. It will be finalized in a day or two. After this, it will be shared with the constituent parties of INDIA alliance in the state. His participation in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will further strengthen the INDIA alliance. The Yatra is expected to enter UP in the afternoon of February 16.”

The Congress party had recently come under fire from Mamata Banerjee, who targeted Rahul Gandhi-led yatra saying it was only trying to “give sursuri (create a stir)” among Muslims in the state, and suggesting that it was little more than a “photo shoot”. Banerjee had chosen to stay away from the yatra while it passed through West Bengal, reiterating that she had been kept in the dark on the Rahul Yatra through Bengal.

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The yatra which is currently in Jharkhand, saw the participation of newly-elected Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader, Champai Soren. JMM is also a constituent of the INDIA alliance.

For the INDIA bloc, time seems to be ticking as the Lok Sabha elections approach and the alliance, instead of being able to coordinate its activities across states is still struggling to figure out seat sharing. And the alliance’s problems only seem to be mounting as one of its key proponents, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, chose to quit the bloc and return to the NDA’s fold, forming a government with the BJP’s support in Bihar.

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