Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 2: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday thanked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for inviting him to his ‘ Bharat Jodo Yatra‘ and wished it a success, even as the party said he would not be attending it in response to the Congress invitation. SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said neither Mr. Yadav nor any other leader from the party would participate in the Yatra.
The nationwide Yatra will enter Uttar Pradesh from the Loni border in Ghaziabad on Tuesday afternoon and will halt for the night in Mavikala village in Baghpat. It will pass through Shamli in U.P. on Wednesday and enter Haryana through Sanauli in Panipat on January 5 evening.
In a letter addressed to Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Yadav said, “Thanks for the invitation to the ‘ Bharat Jodo Yatra‘ and wishes for the success of the ‘ Bharat Jodo‘ initiative.” “India is a feeling which is beyond geographical expansion, where there is love, non-violence, emotions, co-operation and bonhomie — the positive elements, which unite India. “Hope that this yatra achieves its aim of conserving this inclusive culture,” the former U.P. Chief Minister said in the missive he posted on Twitter.
Yadav’s good wishes for the Yatra comes just days after his sharp attack on the Congress. Last week, the Samajwadi Party leader had denied receiving an invite and had said the Congress and the BJP “are the same” but that he supported the spirit of the Yatra. So had Mayawati, another former UP Chief Minister.
Rahul Gandhi had, in return, said: “Hatred and love are diametrically opposite…But many people want to spread love. I know Akhilesh ji and Mayawati ji don’t want hatred. Rishta toh hai…” The former Congress president had also remarked: “Everyone knows that the BJP and the Congress are not the same. Because had it been the case, then Narendra Modi would not have wanted a Congress-mukt Bharat. Is he then asking for a BJP-mukt Bharat? But Akhilesh ji has the option to say what his perspective is.”
Mayawati’s response was also brief. “Best wishes for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. We thank Rahul Gandhi for his letter,” she said on Twitter. Several non-Congress Opposition leaders have joined Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra briefly including Aaditya Thackeray from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader MK Stalin, and actor-politician Kamal Haasan from the Makkal Needhi Maiam.
Senior U.P. Congress leader Nasimuddin Siddiqui, when contacted, said “Rahul Gandhi ji had written a letter to Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday to be a part of the Yatra.” “I do not have any information on this,” he added, when asked whether Mr. Yadav will be attending it. However, there was no information as to whether Mayawati will participate in the Yatra.
Meanwhile, in Ballia, the president of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) Om Prakash Rajbhar said “A few days ago, I got the invitation for the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi, and former Union minister Salman Khurshid called me discussing this. The matter was discussed on Sunday with the party’s office bearers, and it was decided that the party will not be a part of Bharat Jodo Yatra.” Mr. Rajbhar also asked what was the need to integrate India, when it was never disintegrated in the first place.
“When has India disintegrated? Neither the Hindus living in the country nor the Muslims living in the country are in danger,” he said. “The country is also not in danger. Yatras are being taken out to strengthen one’s party, so that it may make a strong connection with the masses,” he added.
Bhartiya Kisan Union National Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said he will not be attending the Yatra. “I am not going to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. But we are not stopping anyone from participating in it. The BKU workers who want to participate in the yatra are free to do so. “However, office bearers above the rank of district presidents will not participate in the yatra,” he said. “Ours is an apolitical organisation. People from different ideologies are in our organisation,” he said.
