A senior Trinamul Congress leader in north Bengal on Wednesday scoffed at Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra soon after Mamata Banerjee said her party would go solo in Bengal in the general election and a day before the Congress leader’s march is scheduled to enter the state.

“What is the purpose of Rahul Gandhi’s programme in Bengal? His political programme would not yield any dividend here for the Congress. Trinamul is strong enough to put the BJP in a soup in this state. Rahul should concentrate on other states where they are weak,” said Udayan Guha, a Trinamul leader from Cooch Behar and the north Bengal development minister.

Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started from Manipur 12 days ago, will enter Bengal through Basirhat in Cooch Behar district on Thursday.

Fingers are crossed over the success of the yatra in Bengal following Mamata’s declaration that Trinamul would go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls. The Trinamul chairperson said she hadn’t been even informed that Rahul would be coming to Bengal.

Taking a cue from the chief’s statement, Guha said: “The Congress has a poor organisational base in Bengal. Some people may go to see Rahul only because he is the grandson of Indira Gandhi and the son of Rajiv Gandhi. But we doubt if the people would be joining the Congress yatra to prevent the BJP in the state.”

There are apprehensions that Mamata’s comments would trigger some unpleasant developments along the route through which the yatra passes.

“Following the announcement by the Trinamul chief, you never know if overenthusiastic Trinamul supporters will try to wave black flags at the yatra or come up with other forms of protest,” said an observer.

After a day’s walk, the yatra will pause for two days and will resume on January 28 to pass through Siliguri. The following day, the yatra will enter Kishanganj in Bihar and will return to Bengal through Malda and Murshidabad districts.

Murshidabad is the last bastion of the Congress in Bengal. The state party chief, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, is the MP of the Behrampore Lok Sabha seat in the district.

“Instead of wasting time in Bengal, Rahul should spare more time for the northern and the southern states to strengthen the battle against the BJP,” Guha said.

Mamata is scheduled to visit Cooch Behar on January 29, merely four days after Rahul’s political programme in the district.

Md. Salim, state CPM secretary, alleged that Mamata’s decision to go alone in Bengal had actually been dictated by the RSS. “She has been speaking against the Congress, the CPM and the INDIA coalition following a directive from the RSS,” said Salim.

“In Bengal, the Congress has to decide whether it wants our support for the Nyay Yatra. Our condition is that the Congress must not take the support from the corrupt Trinamul that has always thwarted nyay (justice) in the state,” the CPM state secretary said in Malda.