Second leg of Rahul Gandhi's yatra in Jharkhand cancelled

The second phase of Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in Jharkhand, which was scheduled to commence on Wednesday, has been cancelled, a party official said.

The cancellation took place as the senior Congress leader rushed to Delhi to take part in a farmers' agitation in the national capital, party sources said.

The scheduled interaction with MGNREGA workers in Ranka in Garhwa district will now be conducted by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and other party leaders.

Gandhi was scheduled to re-enter Jharkhand through Garhwa district from Chhattisgarh on Wednesday for the second phase of his yatra in the state.

"As per the decision taken on Tuesday late night, all programmes under Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have been cancelled in Jharkhand," Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti told PTI.

Shanti said that 'it was unlikely' that the yatra would later resume from Jharkhand.

All India Congress Committee general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur, Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir, National Students' Union of India in-charge Kanhiya Kumar and other senior Congress leaders will now participate in the scheduled interaction with MGNREGA workers in Ranka on Wednesday, he said.

Gandhi was scheduled to participate in the programme.

Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur earlier said that Gandhi had to leave for Delhi for a 'special purpose'.

The first leg of Gandhi's yatra in Jharkhand took place in the first week of February. It had entered Jharkhand from West Bengal on February 2 and entered Odisha on February 6.

Gandhi was scheduled to stay in Jharkhand for two days in the second leg, before entering Bihar on February 15.

The 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', which started in Manipur on January 14, is scheduled to cover 6,713 km in 67 days, passing through 110 districts in 15 states, before culminating in Mumbai on March 20.

Agitating farmers from Punjab are planning to march to Delhi to press for various demands, including a law on a minimum support price for crops and loan waivers.