Cong expectations take a hit, only eight of 23 invited parties turn up to mark end of Rahul’s Yatra

In biggest surprise for party, JD(U) and RJD gave entire Yatra a miss, though other allies turned up; among whom, DMK, JMM present at Srinagar event

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior party leaders during a public rally to mark the end of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. (Express photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

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In the end, there was no clinching of hands showcasing Opposition unity, nor a dramatic show of support. If the Congress had expected a long line of Opposition leaders to turn up at Srinagar to mark the culmination of Rahul Gandhi’s cross-country Bharat Jodo Yatra, it was in for disappointment Monday.

Only a handful of leaders attended the Srinagar event, despite Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge having written to heads of 23 political parties, inviting them to join the concluding event. The Congress’s expectation was that all parties that had been invited would send representatives to the function at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium.

“You will see the meeting in Srinagar on 30th… the aim (of the meeting) is that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is over… what is the next step to be taken in the context of the 2024 elections… there will be some discussions on that,” Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh had said in a press conference at the AICC headquarters earlier this month.

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What has perhaps surprised the Congress most is the absence of both the JD(U) and RJD, its partners in Bihar. The leaders of neither party joined the Yatra, and were missing in Srinagar too.

But the Congress can take heart from the fact that all its other allies, like the NCP, Shiv Sena, JMM and DMK, joined the Yatra at certain points. While Aditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena) and Supriya Sule (NCP) walked with Rahul when the Yatra entered Maharashtra, Sanjay Raut joined him in Jammu. Leaders of the DMK and the JMM also attended the Srinagar event.

Eventually, leaders of eight parties attended the Srinagar event, which was also hit to an extent by bad weather, with heavy snowfall starting Monday morning. Among them were the DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, CPI general secretary D Raja, the National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, the PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, the RSP’s N K Premachandran, and the IUML’s K Navas Kani. Also present were representatives of the JMM and the VCK.

BSP MP Shyam Singh Yadav, who walked with Rahul when the Yatra crossed Delhi, also attended the event. Sources in the BSP, however, said Singh — the MP from Jaunpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh — did not attend the event as a BSP representative.

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“We all fought together for the independence of the country and liberated it from the British Raj. All secular parties must come together to liberate the country from the BJP Raj,” said the CPI’s Raja at the event. While Omar asked Rahul to undertake another yatra from the west to east of the country, and promised to walk with him, Mufti said the country sees a ray of hope in him.

Announcing his party’s solidarity with Rahul, the RSP’s Premchandran said, “A historic movement was undertaken. Rahul Gandhi has proved that he is the right leader to fight against these divisive forces.”