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Kharge to Shah on Bharat Jodo Yatra security: 'You will appreciate the fact…'
Kharge urged the Union home minister to advise the officials concerned to provide adequate security for Rahul Gandhi-led foot march which will continue for another two days and culminate in a function in Srinagar on January 30.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge sought the personal intervention of Union home minister Amit Shah in the alleged security lapse of party leader Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir. Kharge also urged the minister to advise the officials concerned to provide adequate security for Rahul Gandhi-led foot march which will continue for another two days and culminate in a function in Srinagar on January 30.
“We are expecting a huge gathering to join the yatra over the next two days and also the function that will be held on 30th January at Srinagar. Many senior Congress leaders and leaders of other important political parties are attending the culmination function to be held on the 30th of January,” Kharge said in a letter.
“I shall be grateful if you could personally intervene in this matter and advise the concerned officials to provide adequate security till the culmination of the yatra and the function on the 30th January at Srinagar,” he added.
On Friday, the Congress accused the government of withdrawing security personnel from around Rahul Gandhi and demanded action against those responsible for the alleged security breach. Gandhi said he had to cancel his walk for the day because police arrangements by the Jammu and Kashmir administration “unfortunately completely collapsed”.
On the advice of the security officials in charge of the security detail of Rahul Gandhi, the Yatra had to be suspended, Kharge said.
"We appreciate the Jammu and Kashmir Police and welcome their statement saying they will continue to ensure complete security till the culmination of the journey," he said.
However, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha also said, "You will appreciate the fact that a large crowd of common people has joined and walked in the Bharat Jodo Yatra every day. It is difficult for the organisers to tell exactly how many people are expected over the day as it is a spontaneous gesture of the common people to join the yatra."
Rahul Gandhi resumed his foot march from Banihal in the Jammu region and crossed the Jawahar Tunnel into the Valley in Qazigund in a bulletproof vehicle. However, walking barely 500 metres after the tunnel, the Congress leader was asked by his security team to stop his march given the absence of police personnel to manage the large crowd that had gathered to receive him.
“It’s difficult to go against my security detail, so I had to cancel my walk for the day. The other yatris did walk though. It is the administration’s responsibility to guarantee crowd control and police role,” he told reporters in Anantnag.
The J&K administration said pressure on security resources due to the size of the crowd larger than planned may have created an impression of lack of security arrangements.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Police were not consulted before the Bharat Jodo Yatra was discontinued. We will provide foolproof security (to the yatra),” additional director general of police Vijay Kumar, who is in charge of security in Kashmir valley, said.
