Rahul heads to Wayanad after elephant attack fatality, will resume UP yatra Sunday

Rahul Gandhi is leaving for Wayanad from Varanasi as he is urgently required in his Lok Sabha constituency and will resume his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on Sunday afternoon, the party said.

Gandhi’s visit to Wayanad comes a day after a man, who was seriously injured in another wild elephant attack on Friday morning, died at the Kozhikode medical college during the day.

The victim was an eco-tourism guide of the Forest department and was stationed at the Kuruva Island here which is a well known tourist destination, a Forest official said.

In a post on X, Congress general secretarty Jairam Ramesh said, ”Rahul Gandhi’s presence is required urgently in Wayanad. He is leaving this evening from Varanasi at 5PM. 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 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.