Rahul Gandhi concludes the Assam leg of his yatra today
As Rahul Gandhi concludes the Assam leg of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra amid heated exchanges between the Congress and BJP, the state BJP unit has taken a swipe, thanking him for the yatra that it claims bared the Congress's organisational capacity.
The Congress has responded that Chief Minister Himanta Sarma is scared because the people of Assam joined the yatra.
Pabitra Margherita, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and political secretary to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, claimed that not more than 600 people turned up at Rahul Gandhi's meetings. "Assam state BJP would like to thank Rahul Gandhi for holding the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam. Through the Yatra, they have proved their organisational strength in Assam. Rahul Gandhi is a Prime Minister candidate of the INDIA alliance and in his meeting, only 500 to 600 people gathered," he told NDTV.
Congress workers, he claimed, were frustrated by the turnout and tried to enter busy areas in Guwahati for media attention. "They diverted routes and tried to enter Guwahati city, which has hospitals, school and colleges. For media attention, they chose a busy street and got involved in a fight with the policemen who stopped them," he said.
The face-off between Congress workers and police led to chaotic scenes at Guwahati city limits. Mr Gandhi and other Congress leaders have been charged with rioting, unlawful assembly and criminal conspiracy, among others after the clash. The CID is probing the case.
Mr Margherita alleged that Congress workers had attacked at least five policemen and the cops had suffered serious injuries.
"This is not a Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, this is a 'law and order todo' yatra, a 'barricade todo yatra' in Assam. In Naxalite style, Mr Gandhi instigated the people," he alleged.
"Rahul Gandhi is a Prime Minister candidate of INDIA alliance. If he addresses a rally, more than 20,000 people should gather. But only 500-600 people turned up to greet him at the district headquarters. This is pathetic," he said.
In another swipe, the BJP MP said Rahul Gandhi must visit Assam again before the 2026 assembly election so that "people can understand your popularity".
The BJP, he said, was not bothered about the Yatra.
State Congress chief Bhupen Bora told NDTV that the Chief Minister is scared of Mr Gandhi. "He (Sarma) is worried about his future because in the last five days, people of Assam came out. The (state) government is sabotaging (the yatra) everywhere. They also told petrol pumps to not give us fuel. But the government cannot stop Rahul Gandhi. It cannot stop the Congress. We don't care about the Chief Minister," he said.