Cong's Yatra to resume in Bengal on Sunday

KOLKATA: The Congress's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is set to resume on Sunday following a two-day hiatus, with Rahul Gandhi rejoining the programme in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district, a senior party leader said.

The Yatra, spearheaded by Gandhi, commenced on January 14 from Manipur and traversed into the Coochbehar district of West Bengal from Assam on Thursday morning. After holding a roadshow in Coochbehar on January 25, Gandhi departed for New Delhi as the Yatra underwent a two-day recess.

During this interval, the Yatra advanced to Falakata in Alipurduar for a temporary halt.

''Rahul Gandhi Ji will arrive at Bagdogra airport at 11:30 am. Subsequently, he will proceed to Jalpaiguri, where the Yatra will recommence. This time, the Yatra will proceed both by bus and on foot, with a night stopover planned near Siliguri on Sunday night,'' Suvankar Sarkar, a state Congress leader told PTI.

On January 29, the Yatra is slated to head towards Islampur in Uttar Dinajpur district before transitioning into Bihar in the afternoon, Sarkar added.

The Yatra is programmed to re-enter West Bengal on January 31 via Malda, traversing through Murshidabad, both renowned Congress bastions, before exiting the state on February 1.

The Congress alleged that posters of Gandhi and the Yatra were ripped apart in Jalpaiguri. On Friday, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury voiced concerns over encountering obstacles in securing permission to host certain public gatherings during the 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in the state.

The ruling Trinamool Congress rejected the allegations, terming them as unfounded, while accusing Chowdhury of echoing the Bharatiya Janata Party's rhetoric.

The Yatra in West Bengal began in the state after Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's announcement that the party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections independently, and not as part of the opposition bloc INDIA.

The TMC pointed an accusing finger at the Congress for the impasse over seat-sharing.

This marks Gandhi's first visit to the state since the 2021 assembly elections. The Yatra is anticipated to span 6,713 kilometres over 67 days, traversing 110 districts across 15 states before concluding in Mumbai on March 20 or 21.