Disruptions to yatra benefitting us, we are not intimidated: Rahul Gandhi in Assam
The yatra saw a brief disruption earlier in the day when Congress workers and leaders had a face-off with the Assam police at Khanapara in Guwahati
Disruptions to Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will only benefit the cause of the party, Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday, hours after a scuffle broke out between party workers and law enforcement officials in Assam.
Addressing a press conference in Hajo, located around 30km from state capital Guwahati, the Wayanad MP said Congress workers “won’t get scared or intimidated” by the disruptions and the yatra will continue as scheduled.
“The things which Assam CM (Himanta Biswa Sarma) has been doing against the yatra is benefitting us...the kind of publicity, which we might not have got, are getting now because of what the Assam CM and maybe Union home minister Amit Shah is doing,” Gandhi said.
The yatra saw a brief disruption earlier in the day when Congress workers and leaders had a face-off with the Assam police at Khanapara in Guwahati.
Some Congress leaders, including state unit president Bhupen Kumar Borah, and policemen were injured in the scuffle as hundreds of party workers broke barricades set up by the Guwahati administration to prevent the yatra from proceeding towards GS Road, the busiest road in the city.
“Stopping us from entering a temple, college and the yatra itself (from entering Guwahati) is their style. It’s a way to intimidate us. We are not afraid and will not get intimidated. Frankly, it benefits us as our message of ‘nyay’ (justice) is reaching all,” Gandhi said.
Following the incident, Sarma directed the state police to lodge a case against Gandhi for “instigating violence” and not following the agreed route that was set to avoid inconvenience to Guwahati citizens.
The Assam chief minister said that despite repeated requests to the Congress for the last six days to not take the yatra through Guwahati, the party insisted on doing so with 200 vehicles and around 3,000 workers, which would have caused huge disruptions to traffic in the city.
“They didn’t listen to us and indulged in confrontation with the police while Gandhi was witnessing and instigating them from his vehicle. I have directed the police to lodge a case and take action as per law. Gandhi won’t be arrested now, he will be arrested after Lok Sabha polls,” he said.
Also Read:Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Police use batons to disperse Congress workers in Guwahati
“Even if they attack, I am not bothered, scared or intimidated. Once I make up my mind, I stand for my ideals, even if the whole world is on the other side,” the Congress leader said while responding to a question on whether he was worried about his personal safety.
Targeting Sarma, Gandhi reiterated his allegation that the Assam CM was one of the most corrupt chief ministers in India, and that there was massive corruption, unemployment, price rise and problems faced by farmers in the state.
“The CM is not running the state. It’s being run from Delhi,” Gandhi said.
He said that the Congress has invited West Bengal and Bihar chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Nitish Kumar, respectively, to join the yatra when it enters those states from Assam, and added that the INDIA alliance’s plans for the other backward castes, Dalits and women will be disclosed at a later stage.
“At present, nearly 60% of India’s voters are with the INDIA alliance... We will take a call on it (on who would be the prime ministerial candidate if the alliance comes to power) after the elections,” he said.
Gandhi’s yatra entered Assam on January 18 but passed through Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya over the past few days before re-entering Assam. He will proceed towards the western part of Assam in the coming days before leaving the state on January 25.
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