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‘Best wishes for yatra’: Akhilesh and Maya thank Rahul for invite
Best wishes for the success of the Bharata Jodo Yatra. India is more than just a geographical expanse, it is united by positive elements of love, non-violence, compassion, cooperation and harmony. Hope this yatra achieves its goal of preserving this inclusive culture of our country, stated Yadav in a letter to Rahul
LUCKNOW A day before Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Uttar Pradesh through the Loni border in Ghaziabad, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati thanked the Congress leader for his invite to join the yatra.
“Best wishes for the success of the Bharata Jodo Yatra. India is more than just a geographical expanse, it is united by positive elements of love, non-violence, compassion, cooperation and harmony. Hope this yatra achieves its goal of preserving this inclusive culture of our country,” stated Yadav in a letter to Rahul Gandhi.
In a tweet, Mayawati said: “Best wishes for the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and thanks to Rahul Gandhi for the letter written by him to join the yatra.”
Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati had distanced themselves from the Bharat Jodo Yatra despite repeated requests of senior Congress leaders to join it. The yatra will enter UP through the Loni border in Ghaziabad.
Addressing a press conference on December 29, Yadav had said, “The SP has a different ideology while the BJP and Congress are the same. I have received no invitation from the Congress, but our sentiments are with their yatra.”
The BSP also made it clear that party chief Mayawati will not join the yatra. The coordinator of the yatra, Salman Khurshid, had called on Mayawati to join the yatra, after there was no response from the party over Rahul Gandhi’s invitation, but she turned down the invitation.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi hit back at Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati over their maintaining distance from the yatra.
He said, “The SP does not have a national framework. They have a positioning in UP, which they have to defend, and for that, Akhilesh Yadav may not come to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. But the ideals of SP will not work in Kerala, Karnataka and Bihar. Congress’ work is to provide a national framework to the opposition.”
Reacting on BSP’s stand, Gandhi had said: “There is a connection of Congress with BSP chief Mayawati in the journey against hatred. Bharat Jodo Yatra is open to all. Mayawati and leaders of other opposition parties want ‘mohabbat ka Hindustan’. There is some relation of ideology between us.”
In a press statement on Sunday, Mayawati said: “These days, there is a talk of uniting people of the country to make the real India, whereas the BSP is doing this work for a long to unite 85% of the neglected people of the country who have been suppressed and victimised.”
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), an alliance partner of the SP, had earlier made it clear that its president Jayant Chaudhary will not join the Bharat Jodi Yatra. The yatra will cover three districts of Meerut division, considered the stronghold of the RLD. “The party has received an invitation from the Congress, but party president will not join the yatra due to his being preoccupied with other events,” said an RLD leader.
A political observer, SK Srivastava said the Congress’ effort to use the Bharat Jodo Yatra as a catalyst to form a joint opposition front against the BJP before the 2024 Lok Saha election had no takers in UP as the main opposition parties - SP and BSP - refused to open the door to the grand old party. “The Congress is working to regain lost ground in UP by mobilising the OBC-Dalit-Muslim communities, which were once its traditional support base. The OBC-Dalit-Muslims are support base of SP and BSP too. Both parties will not give an opportunity to the Congress to make inroads into their support base. Their leaders have maintained distance from the Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he added.
