‘Why Should We Ask for an Invitation’: Akhilesh Yadav Claims Hasn’t Yet Been Invited to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Balrampur, February 4: With the Opposition bloc--INDIA--teetering on the brink of collapse amid rising dissidence and differences over seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav introduced a fresh sour note claiming that he had not yet been extended an invitation to join the Congress's ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'. The Yatra, led by Congress MP and former national president Rahul Gandhi, is currently in its Jharkhand leg and will head further west before culminating in Mumbai.

While the Congress is piloting efforts to take the INDIA bloc forward following the return of key ally, the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) to the BJP-led NDA, two key partners--the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)--have already ruled out allying with the grand old party in West Bengal and Punjab in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. On whether he will join the Nyay Yatra when it enters Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party chief, on Saturday, said, "Many big events are organised for which we don't receive invitations. Why should we ask for an invitation?" 'BJP Not Going to Field Any Sitting MPs in Coming Election,' Claims SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav

Currently, the Yatra, which has already covered five states, mostly by bus, is anchored in Jharkhand, which is still reeling under the political upheaval brought on by the change of guard at the helm. Hemant Soren, who had been served multiple ED summonses in connection with an alleged land scam, tendered his resignation as Jharkhand chief minister and was arrested by the central agency, prompting a change of guard.

Seven-time MLA and senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Champai Soren eventually took oath as CM. The Yatra is scheduled to enter Uttar Pradesh on February 14. Earlier, on Sunday, the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' rolled into Dhanbad in Jharkhand. Speaking at a public gathering on the sidelines of the ongoing rally, earlier, the Wayanad MP said the Congress's fight was against the 'hatred' in the hearts of 'the BJP people'. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Alliance With Congress Off to a Good Start on 11 LS Seats in Uttar Pradesh, Says Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav

Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra rolled out from Manipur's Thoubal on January 14. The yatra will cover over 6,700 kilometres over 67 days, traversing through 110 districts. It will cover a distance of 6,713 km, straddling 100 Lok Sabha constituencies and 337 assembly segments and covering 110 districts. The yatra will conclude in Mumbai on March 20, after 67 days. A follow-up to the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' which saw Rahul Gandhi cover more than 3,000 kilometres on foot--from Kanya Kumari to Srinagar--the Yatra 2.0 is following a hybrid format.