The BJP launched verbal attacks on the Congress, alleging that the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal deliberately denied permission for Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, aiming to humiliate the grand-old party. These remarks from the BJP followed complaints from West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who stated that his party encountered obstacles in obtaining permission for organizing public meetings as part of the yatra.
Malviya asserted that Banerjee's actions stemmed from anxiety, suggesting that she hoped the Trinamool Congress (TMC) could secure all Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal to maintain relevance post-election. Rejecting claims that exams necessitated the denial, Malviya emphasized that exams were scheduled to commence on February 2, whereas the yatra was set to enter the Siliguri region on January 28.
In a post on X, BJP co-incharge for West Bengal and IT department head Amit Malviya said, “Mamata Banerjee’s decision to deny Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra permission is like the last nail in the coffin of I.N.D.I. Alliance. The decision is intended to humiliate the Congress. But it is interesting to see the Congress suffer from stockholm syndrome and continue to plead Mamata Banerjee to join the Yatra for just 5 minutes, he added.
Banerjee's recent announcement that her party would independently contest the Lok Sabha polls in the state unsettled the Congress and caused political waves within the INDIA bloc. Seat-sharing negotiations between Congress and TMC faltered after the latter accused the former of making unreasonable demands without acknowledging ground realities.
Chowdhury, speaking to reporters in Siliguri, emphasized that the schedule for Gandhi's yatra had been submitted to the state administration well in advance.