LUCKNOW: In a major development in opposition camp, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav skipped the mega rally of INDI Alliance to mark the end of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's 63-day long Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai on Sunday.
Writing a letter, which was released to the media on Sunday evening, to Rahul Gandhi, the SP chief expressed his inability to join the mega rally marking the culmination of his yatra due to his pre-occupation with the preparations for upcoming nomination process which will commence on March 20.
Akhilesh wrote, "Today marks the conclusion of your Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai. Only a few can undertake such a journey. Best wishes to your strong resolve. You initiated this journey from Manipur, which is boiling due to the failures of the BJP government. You have sent a strong message against the authoritarian government from the Northeast. Throughout the entire journey, you have met people from every section of society, including farmers, youth, women, and the elderly, and you have come face to face with their problems."
"The Election Commission has announced the elections yesterday, and the nomination process in Uttar Pradesh begins from 20th March. Due to the preparations for this, I am unable to attend the concluding program of the journey. I am not just hopeful but fully confident that the people, including farmers, youth, backward classes, Dalits, and women, will uproot the anti-people BJP in this election. The real success of this journey will be BJP's defeat in this election," he added.
Akhilesh was supposed to be one of the speakers at the Mumbai rally. His absence gave some intriguing moments to the opposition bloc which was reflected in the statement of senior Congress leader and former Kerala LoP Ramesh Chennithala who tried to explain the absence of SP chief by claiming that he was down with viral fever.
Notably, Akhilesh Yadav had joined Nyay Yatra in Agra in its last leg in UP before entering Rajasthan. He had put the condition of joining the yatra only after sealing the seat sharing deal with the Congress as earlier he had the plan to join it in Amethi but cancelled it as by then the seat sharing arrangement between the two parties was not final.
