SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, RLD's Jayant Chaudhary to skip Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra

Congress has invited several leaders of non-BJP parties in Uttar Pradesh, including Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary, to take part in Rahul Gandhi led Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chiefs will not be joining Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh early next month. Congres' Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Congress has invited several leaders of non-BJP parties, including Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and RLD's Jayant Chaudhary, to take part in the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra will enter Uttar Pradesh on January 3 through Loni in Ghaziabad. It will then pass through Baghpat and Shamli to enter Haryana. News agency IANS quoted RLD national convenor Anupam Mishra as saying, "We have received an invitation from the Congress party, but it is not possible for party president Jayant Chaudhary to participate in the Congress`s Bharat Jodo Yatra due to his being preoccupied with other events." "We, however, wish all the success to the Congress`s Yatra," he said. 

There is also no likelihood of Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav participating in the yatra, news agency IANS quoted an SP leader as saying.

An exception is former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma who has been invited to the yatra in his capacity as a professor of Lucknow University. Another professor of the university, Ravikant, has also been invited.

Samajwadi Party national secretary and state spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said, "The Samajwadi Party and its national president Akhilesh Yadav are already on the path of struggle against the government. The SP president is busy with his programmes and there is no likelihood of his joining the yatra."

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief national general secretary Prof Ramgopal Yadav has attacked the Central government over the Congress` Bharat Jodo Yatra.

He had said that there was no Covid-19 in the country, but the Union government was trying to prevent the yatra in the name of Covid-19.

(With agency inputs)