Baharampur: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ resumed in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district on Friday, a few hours behind schedule due to the state board Class 10 exams, senior leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.
He said the yatra, which was scheduled to resume at 8 am, started from Nabagram in Murshidabad district at 10.30 am after the district administration asked the party to delay it due to exams starting later in the day.
Chaudhary, the Baharampur MP, claimed that citing exams, permission was denied to organize the yatra in neighboring Birbhum district, through which it was to pass before entering Jharkhand’s Pakur later in the day.
He said that for this reason permission was not given to hold a road show in Murshidabad district.
The exam will be conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education from Friday and will be held from 9.45 am to 1.00 pm.
“I don’t understand what is the problem if we conduct our march peacefully after the candidates enter the centres,” Chaudhary told reporters.
The march started with a few vehicles from Nabagram, while Gandhi was traveling in a red SUV, Congress supporters stood on the road and some gave him flower bouquets.
Saying that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra program in the afternoon will go on as per schedule, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that since board exams are going on in the morning, this also has to be kept in mind.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “Since the secondary examination is going on, we will travel following all the rules.”
As per the schedule, the Yatra will enter Pakur in Jharkhand with the flag handing over ceremony at the border of both the states.
Pointing out that Friday is the last day of the yatra in West Bengal, he said it has received an overwhelming response from the people in the state since the first day.
“This shows that the Indian alliance is strong and will contest the 2024 general elections and bring the BJP from 18 to zero seats (in West Bengal),” he said.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, while the Congress won two.
The opposition Bharat faction suffered a blow when Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said her party would contest the elections alone in West Bengal, but Ramesh remained optimistic about achieving a “mutually acceptable” seat-sharing arrangement with the TMC in West Bengal. Has happened.
Congress, CPI(M)-led Left Front and TMC are constituents of the opposition India Bloc, but TMC and CPI(M) have expressed strong reservations about any alliance with each other in West Bengal.
CPI(M) state secretary in Bengal Mohammed Salim, central committee member Sujan Chakraborty and other leaders participated in the visit.
The Yatra entered West Bengal from Assam on 25 January and reached Bihar on 29 January. It re-entered Bengal via Malda on 31 January.
Chaudhary said that no loudspeaker would be used in the yatra and he would not do anything to hamper the interest of the examinees. “We have requested the administration to allow Rahul Gandhi’s vehicle and some cars accompanying his vehicle,” he said.
Chaudhary said that Congress will not clash with the administration. “We just want Rahul Gandhi to leave West Bengal peacefully,” he said.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Shantanu Sen said that some restrictions are imposed in West Bengal during school board examinations and everyone has to follow it.
Sen said, “Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is organizing her dharna program without any loudspeaker, following the restrictions and banning any large gathering.”
Banerjee will stage a protest in Kolkata from Friday in protest against the alleged withholding of state dues by the Centre.
Without naming Congress, he said that its program has been held without any problem so far, but since the beginning of the examinations from Friday, restrictions have been imposed and the administration is only following the rules.
