1. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra enters West Bengal amid tensions with TMC.
2. Mamata Banerjee rejects alliance for 2024 polls, despite Gandhi’s claim of ongoing seat-sharing negotiations.
3. The yatra’s significance is heightened against the backdrop of strained relations between Congress and TMC.
Kolkata, Jan 25: Amid tensions with TMC, Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is scheduled to enter West Bengal on Thursday, a day after the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee ruled out an alliance with the Congress in the eastern state for the 2024 national polls.
Despite Gandhi’s statement that “negotiations on seat-sharing are underway,” even though no talks are happening between the two sides, Banerjee appears irked.
West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s attacks have further strained the ties between the two parties, jeopardizing the prospects of the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
The yatra, halting for two days on January 26 and 27 in West Bengal, will be closely watched against this backdrop. This visit marks Gandhi’s first appearance in the state since campaigning for the April-May 2021 assembly polls.
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The yatra will cover Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur, and Darjeeling before reaching Bihar on January 29. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is reportedly upset over a delay in seat-sharing negotiations.
Left parties are expected to join the march in West Bengal, while TMC is unlikely to do so, with Banerjee expressing dissatisfaction, stating she was not informed about it.
On Wednesday, Banerjee remarked, “Have they even shown the courtesy by informing us about the rally they are holding in our state? I am also in the INDIA alliance. So, I have no relationship with them in Bengal.”
The yatra will re-enter West Bengal on January 31 through Malda and cover Murshidabad before departing the state on February 1. Both Malda and Murshidabad are Congress strongholds.
Despite Congress leader Jairam Ramesh offering an olive branch, stating they cannot imagine the INDIA alliance without TMC, state party spokesperson Suman Roy Chaudhuri criticized the TMC chief.
Chaudhuri remarked, “Once a betrayer is always a betrayer. In her political career, she has betrayed the Congress and Rajiv Gandhi. She would betray the INDIA alliance.”
Banerjee ruled out the alliance on the same day Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) mentioned discussions on the party’s probable candidates for Punjab’s 13 parliamentary seats.
