Rahul Gandhi fumes as BJP govt stops his rally in Assam
Guwahati/IBNS: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday fumed as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Assam government stopped his rally upon entering Guwahati, media reports said.
A heavy battery of police officers was present at the Guwahati borders to stop the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, where Rahul was leading about 5,000 party workers.
Earlier, the Assam government had denied entry into the arterial roads of Guwahati stating January 23 is a working day and allowing the rally would disrupt traffic.
The Congress workers were asked to carry on with the rally in National Highway 27 that is like a ring road around the city, NDTV reported.
असम में 'भारत जोड़ो न्याय यात्रा' को बैरिकेड लगाकर रोक दिया गया है।
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 23, 2024
'भारत जोड़ो न्याय यात्रा' की बुलंद आवाज से डरी-सहमी असम सरकार ऐसी कायर और शर्मनाक हरकतों से बाज नहीं आ रही।
BJP ये न भूले कि ये जनता की आवाज है, इसे किसी भी कीमत पर कुचला और दबाया नहीं जा सकता।
हमारी राह के… pic.twitter.com/q1E53exwPA
Addressing the workers, Rahul said, "The rally of Bajrang Dal and JP Nadda (BJP national president) took place through this route but our march has been stopped.
"Congress workers have removed the barricades installed on the road. Therefore, do not think that the Congress workers are weak. But we won't break the law."
The fresh tussle comes a day after Rahul was stopped from entering into the shrine of a 15th century social reformer on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the much-awaited Ram Temple and unveiled Ram Lalla's idol in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
On this, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said as quoted by NDTV, "I urge Rahul Gandhi to not create a notion that there is a competition between Ram Temple and Batadrava Satra because the TV channels will be flashing Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony on one side and him visiting Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva's birthplace on the other side. This won't be good for Assam."