Amid speculations of him joining the Congress' Bharat Jodo Party, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday cleared that 'no invitation has been received.' From the past few days, speculations were ripe that the SP chief and RLD chief are expected not to join the Yatra when it reached Uttar Pradesh.
Elaborating on his view, Akhilesh Yadav said that 'ideology of his party is different.' "We have not received any invitation (for Bharat Jodo Yatra). The ideology of our party is different. BJP and Congress both are same," Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow said.
Earlier, the parties had issued a statement that SP president Akhilesh Yadav and ally RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary are unlikely to participate in the Yatra due to "preoccupation" with their programmes.
Congress has said it has invited several leaders of non-BJP parties, including Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary, to take part in the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Yatra from January 3.
BSP waiting for invite
The BSP is still waiting for the Congress invitation for the yatra and any call on participation in it will be taken by party president Mayawati, a senior BSP leader said on condition of anonymity. Nevertheless, BSP MP from Jaunpur Shyam Singh Yadav was present in the yatra in Delhi, walking alongside Rahul Gandhi for three hours "but in what capacity is not known", he said.
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