Last month, they were unable to share the stage at a political event due to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, as the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra gets ready to enter Uttar Pradesh, Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav will be sharing the stage at a public rally in Bihar, which is the yatra’s last major stop.
Originally, the Congress MP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader were supposed to address a rally in Purnea on January 30, but Tejashwi couldn’t make it due to being questioned by the ED the day before. Now, they will address the rally in the village of Dhanechha in Kaimur district and the message they send out will be closely observed.
The INDIA alliance of Opposition parties is looking for clear political messaging after facing several setbacks. The alliance saw the exit of the Janata Dal (United) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, failed seat-sharing talks with the Aam Aadmi Party, and the National Conference stating it will contest all three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir Valley, among other issues. The rally will also provide an opportunity for Rahul and Tejashwi to clarify the status of seat sharing in Bihar and inject optimism in the INDIA grouping.
Additionally, the Congress yatra will enter Chandauli district in UP, where Rahul will be joined by AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the first time during the march.
A ‘Bharat Bandh’ call
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a “Bharat Bandh” on Friday due to unmet demands of farmers, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. The Rajasthan Congress president has announced the party’s support for the bandh call. However, the bandh call, led by lesser-known farmer leaders, is unlikely to have a major effect.
Modi’s development push
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of development and infrastructure projects worth thousands of crores in Rajasthan and Haryana. He will unveil and launch development projects in Rajasthan worth more than Rs 17,000 crore and later head to Rewari in Haryana to inaugurate projects worth more than Rs 9,750 crore.