Assam: Rahul Gandhi was not allowed by authorities to visit the Sri Sri Sankardev Satra temple in Assam's Nagaon on Monday. "We do not want to create any problems, simply pray at the temple," Gandhi told the police authorities.
Rahul, along with other Congress leaders, was stopped at Haiboragaon and not allowed to proceed further. The former Congress chief was scheduled to pay obeisance to the local deity before starting his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Monday. Mahila Congress leaders subsequently sat on a dharna to protest against the denial of permission to Gandhi to visit the temple. Rahul also joined the dharna.
According to the authorities, Rahul would be allowed permission to visit the temple only at 3 PM.
He questioned the police on why he was being stopped from visiting the temple and added "Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple and when."
Tight security arrangements, deployment of a huge police force and blockade of roads were in force around the Sri Sri Sankardev Satra temple. Barring the local MP and MLA, no Congress leader was allowed to travel beyond Haiboragaon, around 20 km from the temple spot. Even the media team was not allowed to travel beyond Haiboragaon.
Congress Sewa Dal chief Lalji Desai said it was "shameful" that the Prime Minister and Assam chief minister were not allowing them to pray at the temple. "This is atrocious. Unfortunately, the PM will decide who will pray at what time in the country," he said. "Till the time PM Modi does pooja (in Ayodhya), no one is allowed to pray anywhere," Desai claimed. "There is no 'loktantra' (democracy) here and the government will decide when people will pray at temples," he said.
Meanwhile, authorities allowed local MP and MLA to visit the temple without Rahul Gandhi.
Congress to hold protests on Jan 22 over 'planned attacks' on Rahul's Nyay yatra in Assam
The Congress party, meanwhile, announced that it will hold demonstrations across the country on Monday evening over what it claimed to be "planned attacks" on the convoys of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam. Rahul is leading a 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Manipur to Mumbai, with the march travelling through Assam from January 18 to 25.
In a late night post on X on Sunday, Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal alleged that since the yatra's entry in Assam, "the most corrupt chief minister in India has been carrying out relentless attacks on our convoys, properties and leaders using his goons."
"This is a matter that every Indian must take seriously because it exposes the BJP's fascism and hooliganism. All across India, PCCs and DCCs are instructed to hold large-scale protests tomorrow evening and expose how the Modi-led BJP is killing democracy in Assam through their corrupt CM," he said. "Our fight for justice - social, economic and political - will continue undeterred!" he said.
"Over the past two days, we have seen planned attacks on the convoys of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and instances of tearing down our Yatra posters by these troublemakers," the Congress leader said. Today, a deliberately assembled crowd of BJP workers "attacked" the convoy led by Rahul Gandhi, resulting in injuries to several party leaders, including the Assam Congress chief, Venugopal alleged.
Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah was allegedly assaulted while general secretary Jairam Ramesh's car was targeted in Assam's Sonitpur district during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Sunday.
The party has demanded a judicial inquiry into the attack on Borah, alleging involvement of a BJP MLA and his supporters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also mobbed at a roadside eatery in Assam's Nagaon district on Sunday evening. The crowd raised slogans against the Wayanad MP and also displayed placards with messages such as 'Anyay Yatra' and 'Rakibul go back', referring to Samaguri Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain.
(With PTI inputs)
