In an interview to discuss the aim and purpose of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra but which began with a discussion about the problems it faced in Assam today, Yogendra Yadav, the convenor of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan, which is supporting the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, said Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was earlier today spoiling for a fight and has gone out of his way to provoke the yatra and deliberately deny permission to it, often on false grounds.Yadav said there was truth in the suspicion that this could be Sarma’s retaliation or revenge for the fact Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly called him the most corrupt chief minister in the country.Earlier today, it was reported that the chief minister has ordered the director general of police in Assam to file a case against Rahul Gandhi for provoking and inciting the crowds.I will leave you to get fuller details – and there are plenty of them – from the interview.Speaking about the yatra itself, Yadav said that its principal aim and purpose is to challenge the prevailing narrative in the country today.As he put it: “The yatra stands for constitutional values in danger of being forgotten and lost”.In the interview, he explains why he believes this challenge to the dominant narrative of the day is important and how the term nyay, which is part of the title of the yatra, expresses more than just its literal translation as justice.I am only giving you the big, broad points. I will leave you to get the details from the interview itself. As ever, Yadav is compelling and erudite and, therefore, it’s better that you should hear him for yourself rather than read a precis of his responses.In the interview, there is also a discussion about seat-sharing between the Congress and parties like the Aam Aadmi, Trinamool, Samajwadi as well as its allies in Maharashtra and Bihar.Yadav says he believes the priority is to keep the big picture in mind, i.e., ensuring that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP fall short of 272 seats, rather than to maximise the number of seats the Congress (or any other party) can win.He says he’s been repeatedly assured by leading Congressmen (who he names) that the media headlines are misleading and that “headway” is being made in seat-allotment between parties.Speaking about how Rahul Gandhi is perceived and how people are responding to him during the yatra, Yadav says Rahul is emerging as “a leader who has a vision.”Last year’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (of 2022 and 2023) eliminated and removed Rahul Gandhi’s ‘pappu’ image. Now, as Yadav puts it, “it is not enough not to be pappu”.This is why it’s important Rahul Gandhi develop as a leader who has a vision. Yadav says: “I see the beginning of that”.Again, I will leave you to see the interview to get a fuller idea of all the points made by Yadav about seat-sharing and Rahul Gandhi’s new emerging image.