Rahul Gandhi booked in Assam for ‘acts of violence’; says Himanta’s action helping yatra get more publicity

PTI, Jan 24, 2024, 8:43 AM IST

Rahul Gandhi addresses supporters during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, in Guwahati, Assam. (Credit: PTI Photo)

Guwahati: The Assam police on Tuesday filed an FIR against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal, Kanhaiya Kumar and others hours after Assam Chief Minister Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked his director general of police to register a case against the former Congress chief for adopting “Naxalite tactics” to instigate party workers during the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra.

At around 9.30 pm, the Assam CM in a post on ‘X’ said an FIR was lodged for violence, provocation and assault on the police under sections of IPC and Prevention of Public of Damage to Public Property Act 1984.

The CM’s order came after Congress workers clashed with the police who stopped Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra from taking its route via Guwahati city under “instructions from New Delhi”. The Congress on Tuesday said some of its leaders and workers were injured by the police.

Sarma later told reporters that Rahul would be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections.

Before this, Rahul said that he was also not allowed to visit the campus of the University of Science Technology and Management.

“The university invited me to meet you all but a call came from New Delhi following which it was cancelled,” he told a large crowd of students who gathered along the road as the yatra started moving towards Guwahati.

“It is not important whether Rahul Gandhi comes or does not come. But what is important is that you are not allowed to listen to anybody that you want to.”

Rahul also claimed that the Assam CM called up the university authorities not to allow him to visit the campus.

“This is taking place in every university, college and school in India. You are being told that you must blindly obey the RSS and leadership of this country.”

As the yatra marched towards Assam, they found their route via Guwahati city blocked by police. This led to a scuffle between the police and Congress workers during which Bhupen Kumar Borah, president of the party’s Assam unit, and a few others were injured.

The police had earlier denied permission to the yatra to enter Guwahati city citing possible congestion following instructions from the CM.

The police had asked the Congress to take the highway route to Kamrup district, where Rahul was scheduled to address a gathering. The yatra later took the highway route.

Rahul told reporters at Hajo in Kamrup district, “The CM is trying to intimidate me by doing all these. It was not the CM who was doing all these, it was being orchestrated in Delhi. If the CM says something which is not liked by his masters in New Delhi, anybody can imagine his condition given the cases pending against him. He is one of the most corrupt CMs.”

He said BJP got rattled by the “grand success” of the yatra last year. “So they are trying to stop it early here. But people are supporting us. They want to share their problems, huge unemployment, price rise and massive corruption,” Rahul said. “Whatever the CM is doing is, in fact, helping the yatra get more publicity.”

To a query whether other partners of I.N.D.I.A. bloc would join the yatra in Bengal and other states, Rahul said he and Congress president Mallikrjun Kharge invited all of them. “It is a fight of ideology between RSS and Narendra Modi on one side and I.N.D.IA. on the other. Today, I.N.D.I.A. has 60 per cent votes on its side.”