West Bengal: A day after Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra re-entered West Bengal from Bihar, Rahul Gandhi resumed the march from the Sujapur Bus stand in Malda on Thursday morning. The Congress leader resumed the yatra from Murshidabad in the afternoon and will address a public meeting in the district before exiting the state the next day.
Rahul Gandhi's car was pelted with stones in West Bengal's Malda as the Congress leader entered the state from Bihar's Katihar for the second time on Wednesday.
Rahul Gandhi's yatra, an attempt to rally support ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, started on January 14 from Manipur. After travelling through the Northeast, it reached West Bengal before Gandhi took a break. The yatra then started in West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district and reached Kishanganj in Bihar on Monday. The yatra on Wednesday re-entered West Bengal through Debipur, Ratua in Malda district.
Here are the latest updates from day 19 of the yatra:
- 7 PM
Yatra comes to an end, Rahul Gandhi to spend night at Nabagram Kishore Sangha gram.
- 4:30 PM
Rahul Gandhi takes a break at BSNL office More in Behrampore. Addresses crowd.
- 3:25 PM
Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed from Murshidabad.
- 12:55 PM
Addressing on the sidelines of the yatra, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh termed ED's action of Hemant Soren and other leaders of Opposition as political vendetta and political harassment.
- 12:45 PM
Jairam Ramesh asserted the need for discussions and face-to-face talks between leaders of INDIA bloc parties. Ramesh said that the alliance of the Opposition parties is for the Lok Sabha polls and not Assembly polls. "We are not fighting on local issues but on the national issue. Our point is not who should form the government in Bengal," he said.
On West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's statement of going solo in the Lok Sabha polls, Ramesh said that Banerjee has said that she is with the INDIA bloc and the aim of all parties of the bloc is to fight against the BJP.
"In Bengal, Congress and TMC are working together against the BJP. Our aim is to bring BJP's seat count in the state to 0 from 18. We need a joint statement saying the seats which each party would contest and we are seriously involved in the process," he added.
- 12:30 PM
Jairam Ramesh said the yatra arrived from Malda to Jangipur and crossed the historic Farakka Barrage.
"The enthusiasm we saw in people today was not seen anywhere else. The welcome that Rahul Gandhi received in Bengal is overwhelming. Today and tomorrow the rally will be in West Bengal and enter Jharkhand at 3 pm tomorrow. I feel the journey in West Bengal has motivated Congress workers and will benefit both the party and INDIA bloc," he said.
- 10.42 AM
Rahul Gandhi has begun his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Malda in West bengal.
- 7.55 am
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to resume from Sujapur Bus stand.
