Rahul Gandhi stopped from visiting Assam shrine, says ‘was invited’, stages dharna

Guwahati: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said he was stopped from visiting Assam's Batadrava Than, the birthplace of saint Srimanta Sankardeva. The incident took place a day after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma advised him to visit the place after the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya to avoid "unnecessary competition".

Gandhi, who is currently on the Assam leg of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, said he was stopped from visiting the place after being invited. He claimed the authorities haven't assigned any reasons for their move.

"We are trying to go to the temple. We were invited and now they are telling us that we can't visit. We are not going to do anything forcibly. We have to do our yatra, we are asking them what is the reason? We are not going to disturb anybody. We have been invited there," he said.

In a video, Gandhi can be seen asking the police why he was being stopped.

"What is the issue brother? Can I go and see the barricades? What mistake have I made that I am not allowed inside the temple?," he added.

He later staged a dharna against the police's move.

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The management of the shrine had asked Gandhi to visit the temple after 3 pm because of the Pran Prathistha event.

Also read: Assam shrine asks Rahul Gandhi to visit after Ram Temple ceremony is over

Jogendra Narayan Dev Mahanta, the President of Batadrava Than management committee, said 10000 people were expected to visit the shrine.

“At that time we do not want Rahul Gandhi to come here, because there may be some difficulties in the process of welcoming him,” he said. "…He can come tomorrow after 3 pm and we will be able to give him a grand welcome. We have already informed the local MLA, District Commissioner and SP."

On Sunday, Sarma asked Gandhi not to visit the shrine.

"We will request Rahul Gandhi not to visit Batadrava on Monday during the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple as it will reflect Assam in the wrong light,'' Sarma said.

Meanwhile, the Congress will today protest against stone-pelting on Jairam Ramesh's convoy in Assam.

"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," Congress leader KC Venugopal wrote on X.

With inputs from PTI