New Delhi:
After Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Agra, the Congress on Sunday said India’s “Janbandhan” is closed and full, ready to dispel the “darkness of other times”.
The coming together of Gandhi and Yadav ends days of uncertainty over their participation in the yatra and gives a boost to the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which has recently sealed major seat-sharing deals.
AAP and Congress on Saturday reached an agreement on seat-sharing for Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Haryana, but decided to contest elections separately in Punjab in view of “special circumstances” in the state.
With this, after recently reaching an agreement with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress finalized its seat adjustments for 125 constituencies with India Bloc constituents.
However, challenges still remain as the India Bloc has to work out a seat-sharing deal in key states like West Bengal and Maharashtra.
In a post on Twitter, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “A huge, enthusiastic and energetic crowd gathered in Agra to welcome Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Akhileh Yadav. The leaders gathered at the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar before taking out the historic road show. Wreathed.” Through the heart of Agra.”
Shri Ramesh said, “Bharat Janbandhan is closed and ready to remove the darkness of any period.”
In another post, the Congress leader said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has completed its journey in Uttar Pradesh (UP), which lasted for eight days.
The journey started in Chandauli and passed through the Varanasi, Bhadohi, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Amethi, Raebareli, Lucknow, Unnao, Kanpur, Moradabad, Amroha, Sambhal, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras and the Agra districts, he said.
“Undoubtedly, Akhikesh Yadav’s participation in Agra this afternoon was the most important point,” Mr Ramesh said.
“Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has not only strengthened the party organization in UP but also given new hope to all sections of the UP society, especially the youth. Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of paper leak for four consecutive days and his speeches had an impact “It was felt on the morning of February 24 when the Yogi (Adityanath) government announced the cancellation of the examination held earlier this month for recruitment to the post of police constable, the paper of which was leaked,” he said.
Gandhi, he said, has made it a vivid example of the injustice being done to the youth of Uttar Pradesh, who are already facing the highest unemployment in the last 45 years.
Rahul Gandhi’s repeated emphasis on farmers’ issues also resonated loudly. He highlighted Congress’ guarantee of giving legal status to MSP (Minimum Support Price) and fixing MSP based on the formula suggested by Bharat Ratna Dr MS Swaminathan. Both these demands have been consistently ignored by the Prime Minister,” Ramesh said.
He said Gandhi also spoke strongly on the need to conduct a socio-economic caste census to ensure deeper and more meaningful social justice.
“The UP leg of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has brought appreciation to both Congress and Bharat Janbandhan!”. Ramesh added.
Congress and Samajwadi Party workers raised slogans in support of Yadav and Gandhi and the two leaders, along with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, waved to the crowd gathered for the yatra.
In his address on this occasion, Yadav attacked the government and said, “Today the farmers are standing against the government. The government is scared of the power of the farmers. In the coming time, we will remove BJP and give India coalition government with respect for the farmers.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
