For the first time, leaders of the Bengal Left Front joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri on Sunday to prove that they were ready to back the Grand Old Party without Trinamul.

In Siliguri, senior Left leaders gave bouquets to Congress leaders and walked a few steps as the Yatra moved through Hill Cart Road, a prominent thoroughfare in the city, late in the afternoon. Earlier in the day, in Jalpaiguri, some Left workers walked in the Yatra that moved through the town,

“We made it clear that if Trinamul joined the Yatra, we would not participate in it. As Trinamul refrained from joining the rally, we didn’t hesitate to join it. We received the Congress leaders and workers with bouquets and also walked a few steps with the Yatra,” said Jibesh Sarkar, a state secretariat member of the CPM based in Siliguri.

Around 4.45pm on Sunday, the Yatra started from Station Feeder Road, moved along the DBCRD flyover and reached Hashmi Chowk.

Sarkar, along with Tapas Goswami, a state committee member of RSP and Prasanta Bakshi of the CPI welcomed the rally led by Jairam Ramesh, the AICC general secretary (communications), who walked with the other Congress members in front of Rahul’s bus.

Sujay Ghatak, a Congress councillor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, introduced the Left leaders to his party leaders.

“Rahul Gandhi is organising the yatra to oust the BJP and RSS. We firmly support it. We welcomed him and others and walked with them as a mark of solidarity,” said Goswami.

The CPM's student and youth wings also joined the Yatra.

In Jalpaiguri, there was a similar participation.

“We went to extend our support to Rahul Gandhi’s yatra as we want Congress to ally with us (Left) to defeat BJP in the upcoming general elections,” said Sanatan Roy, a district Left leader.

“However, the Left's participation on Sunday was more symbolic as the Congress leadership is still offering an olive branch to Mamata Banerjee,” said an observer.

Like in Cooch Behar on Thursday, Siliguri saw a few posters saying Didi was enough to stop the BJP in Bengal, which hinted that Trinamul hadn't softened its stand at the Congress. “We didn’t get any instruction from our leadership to join the rally,” said Alok Chakraborty, the chairman of Trinamul’s Darjeeling (plains) district committee.