Rahul Gandhi reaches West Bengal as Nyay Yatra is scheduled to resume

SILIGURI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in West Bengal on Sunday morning to participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which will resume after a two-day break.

Gandhi was received at the Bagdogra airport in Siliguri in the northern part of the state by West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

From Siliguri, he will travel to Jalpaiguri district, from where the Yatra will resume in the afternoon.

The Yatra, which will proceed both by bus and on foot, will halt for the night near Siliguri, he said.

On Monday, it will head to Islampur in Uttar Dinajpur district, before entering Bihar, he added.

The Yatra is scheduled to re-enter West Bengal on January 31 via Malda and then after travelling through Murshidabad, it will leave the state on February 1.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, urging her to ensure that the programme is held smoothly in the state.

Congress earlier alleged that some of its banners featuring Gandhi were vandalised in Jalpaiguri.

Chowdhury also raised concern over facing obstacles in securing permission for organising public meetings as a part of the Yatra in the state.

A day before the Yatra entered West Bengal, CM Banerjee announced that her party, the TMC, will contest the Lok Sabha elections in the state by itself, and not as part of the opposition bloc INDIA.

The Yatra is scheduled to travel 6,713 km over 67 days, traversing 110 districts across 15 states before concluding in Mumbai on March 20 or 21.