LUCKNOW — The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) presidents will not be joining Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, when it begins early next month, but both leaders have extended their good wishes to Gandhi.

RLD national convenor Anupam Mishra said, “We have received an invitation from the Congress party, but it is not possible for party president Jayant Chaudhary to participate in the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra due to his being preoccupied with other events.”

“We, however, wish all the success to the Congress’s Yatra,” he said.

There is also no likelihood of Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav participating in the yatra, according to an SP leader.

Samajwadi Party national secretary and state spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said, “The Samajwadi Party and its national president Akhilesh Yadav are already on the path of struggle against the government. The SP president is busy with his programmes and there is no likelihood of his joining the yatra.”

The Congress has invited several leaders of the non-BJP parties to join the Uttar Pradesh leg of the yatra scheduled to enter the state through Loni in Ghaziabad on January 3.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief national general secretary Prof Ramgopal Yadav has attacked the Central government over the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra.

He had said that there was no Covid-19 in the country, but the Union government was trying to prevent the yatra in the name of Covid-19. — IANS