Himanta Sarma's ‘Ravana’ jibe at Rahul Gandhi on day of Ram Mandir consecration ceremony

High drama ensued in Assam's Nagaon on Monday as Rahul Gandhi was stopped from visiting the Sri Sri Sankardeva Satra in Nagaon district.

Published on: Jan 22, 2024, 20:22:21 IST

By HT News Desk

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Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday lashed out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who is in the north-eastern state as part of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, calling him a ‘Ravan’.

When asked about his response to Gandhi's remarks attacking him, Sarma was quoted by ANI as saying,"Why are you talking about Ravan today? Atleast talk about Ram today. We have the opportunity to talk about Ram after 500 years. We should only talk about him and not about Ravan."

Sarma was referring to the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, that was presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

High drama ensued in Assam's Nagaon on Monday as Gandhi was stopped from visiting the Sri Sri Sankardeva Satra in Nagaon district and also from holding a meeting in the Morigaon district.

In protest, Gandhi asked whether PM Modi will now "decide who will visit a temple and when".

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi

Gandhi had left early in the morning for the Satra, the birthplace of 15th-century social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, but was stopped at Haibargaon following which he along with other senior party leaders sat on dharna. The Congress also claimed that the authorities didn't give him any reasons for stopping him.

‘Will PM Modi decide who will visit a temple?’

"Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple and when?... We do not want to create any problems and simply pray at the temple," Gandhi was quoted by PTI as saying to the police authorities.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that Modi exerted pressure on the Assam government to prevent him from visiting the birthplace of the iconic saint and paying his obeisance.

The Congress leader told reporters that he believed in the philosophy of Sankardeva as ''we, like him, believe in bringing people together and not spreading hatred. He is like a guru to us and gives us direction. So I had thought when I came to Assam, I should offer my respects to him''.

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HT News Desk
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