New Delhi: Halting his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Varanasi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi left for his constituency in Kerala, Wayanad, where the situation escalated following the elephant attacks. Rahul will resume his Yatra from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Sunday afternoon, PTI reported.
Rahul charted to visit Wayanad after a person who got severely injured in an elephant attack on Friday died at Kozhikode Medical College. The victim was an eco-tourism guide stationed at the Kuruva Island.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Rahul Gandhi's presence is required urgently in Wayanad. He is leaving this evening from Varanasi at 5 PM. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will resume at 3PM tomorrow, February 18th, at Prayagraj." In Wayanad, a district-wide hartal was called by the ruling LDF, opposition UDF and BJP to seek permanent solutions to the man-animal conflicts in the region. Shops and business establishments remained closed while vehicles were kept off the roads across the district.
The Congress yatra entered Uttar Pradesh on Friday and will traverse through the state before entering Rajasthan.
Rajesh Tiwari, Congress secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh, said, "Rahul Gandhi will not be participating in the Bhadohi leg of the yatra as he has left for Wayanad, but the yatra will continue. We will take the yatra forward from Bhadohi to Prayagraj," adding Gandhi will reach Prayagraj Sunday afternoon and join the yatra.
The east to west Manipur-Mumbai yatra will in all traverse 6,700 km through 15 states and aims to highlight the message of 'nyay' (justice) while meeting common people on the way.