Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday dropped hints that he might not join former Congress president Rahul Gandhi's ongoing 'Bharat Jodi Nyaya Yatra' when it will enter Uttar Pradesh next month.
Akhilesh, while speaking to the newsmen here, said that his party was not invited by the BJP or the Congress to their programmes. ''Neither the Congress nor the BJP invites us to their programmes. We are taking out our own Yatra,'' he said when queried about the possibility of joining Rahul's Yatra.
Akhilesh highlighted his party's "Samvidhan Bachao, Desh Bachao Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak" (Save Constitution, Save Country, Backward, Dalit, Minority) Yatra, which is scheduled to traverse different parts of the state ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
According to UP Congress leaders, Rahul's Yatra is expected to enter UP on February 14, passing through Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi, as well as Raebareli, Amethi, and other locations.
Political observers suggest that the SP and other opposition parties do not perceive the Congress as a major player in UP, and therefore, they prefer not to be seen being led by the grand old party in the state.
Despite being part of the opposition's I.N.D.I.A bloc, the SP and the Congress have not yet reached an understanding on seat sharing in this politically crucial state, which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
It is worth noting that in 2022, Rahul's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' was not attended by opposition leaders during its UP leg. The Congress had invited Akhilesh, Jayant, BSP leader Satish Chandra Mishra, CPI leader Atul Anjan, former minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, and Rajbhar to join the yatra in the state.
Published 17 January 2024, 10:11 IST