Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will not participate in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra until the seat distribution for the Lok Sabha elections is finalised, said sources.
As per the sources, the Samajwadi Party said, "A decision on seat sharing must be made before any further participation. Today, SP workers in Amethi have been instructed to refrain from attending Rahul Gandhi's program."
Rahul Gandhi's Nyaya Yatra is scheduled to arrive in Amethi tomorrow (February 19) and it will reach Raebareli on Tuesday (February 20).
Samajwadi Party on Congress' invitation
Earlier, Yadav had accepted the invitation to join Congress Yatr and had said he would join the yatra either in Amethi or Raebareli. However, Akhilesh's schedule to participate in the journey has not been finalised yet. The Samajwadi Party district presidents of Amethi and Raebareli have not been instructed to prepare for this yet.
According to sources, Akhilesh's schedule to participate in the journey will be finalised only after the seat-sharing agreement with Congress is decided. The Samajwadi Party leaders say that they expect the seat-sharing arrangement to be finalized by tomorrow afternoon.
The Samajwadi Party is prepared to give the Congress 15 to 16 seats in Uttar Pradesh, but the Congress is demanding 21 to 22 seats. Apart from the dispute over the number of seats, there are also some Muslim minority seats on which both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party want to contest.
The Samajwadi Party hopes that the situation regarding the alliance will be clear by tomorrow afternoon.
'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra'
On February 19, Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting at Gauriganj in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Gandhi had represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha for 15 years before he was defeated by Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Rahul Gandhi had lost the Amethi seat to Union Minister Smriti Irani. Amethi is the "karmabhoomi" of the Nehru Gandhi family which has sacrificed their lives for the Independence, unity and integrity of the country.
The yatra will reach Raebareli the next day from where it will proceed to Lucknow where Rahul Gandhi and other participants are likely to make a night halt. Raebareli is the only Lok Sabha seat which is held by the Congress in UP. Currently, Sonia Gandhi is the Lok Sabha MP from the constituency.
The Yatra, led by the Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, commenced from Manipur on January 14 and will culminate on March 20 in Mumbai. It has been planned that the Yatra will cover 6,713 km in 67 days while passing through 110 districts in 15 states.
The yatra will pass through 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in 15 states. The yatra will move to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Yatra will traverse 6,713 km, mostly in buses but also on foot. It will cover 110 districts in 67 days, before culminating in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. Rahul Gandhi will address public gatherings and interact with civil society members and organisations twice a day during the yatra.
