‘Will PM Modi decide who goes to temples?’: Rahul after being stopped from visiting Vaishnav saint Sankardeva’s birthplace in Assam

PTI

Nagaon/Morigaon (Assam), January 22

The Congress’ Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam was marked with high drama on Monday, as Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to proceed towards the birthplace of iconic Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva at Batadrava in Nagaon, besides being barred from holding a meeting in Morigaon district.

As a consequence, the fifth day of the Yatra in the state did not proceed as per the programme chalked out by the party in the two districts. In the evening, Gandhi and his entourage entered Meghalaya.

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi exerted pressure on the Assam Government to prevent Gandhi from visiting the birthplace of Srimant Sankardeva.

Sankardeva is an Assamese saint-scholar, social-religious reformer, poet, playwright and a towering figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam from the 15th-16th century.

Gandhi had left for the sattra (Vaisnavite monastery) at Batadrava early in the morning but was stopped at Haibargaon, around 17 km away, prompted him and other party leaders to sit on a dharna.

Tight security arrangements were in force around the sattra.

The Sri Sankardeva Sattra authorities on Sunday announced that they will not allow Gandhi to visit the sattra before 3 pm on January 22, after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said at a press conference that he requested Gandhi not to visit it before the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Party MP Gaurav Gogoi and Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora went to the sattra to resolve the issue but failed. After returning, Gogoi claimed there was no crowd in and around the premises.

They offered prayers on behalf of Gandhi and the priests extended their blessings to him.

‘A rumour was spread that a law and order situation could have risen if Gandhi had visited the place,” Gogoi said.

After the two returned, Gandhi told reporters that he believes in the philosophy of Sankardeva saying: “Like him, we 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,” he said.

Gandhi said that they had received an invitation on January 11 but “we were told that there is a law and order situation. This is strange as there is a law and order situation in the area, but Gaurav Gogoi and all can go but only Rahul Gandhi cannot go”.

The former Congress president said he would go to Batadrava after getting an opportunity.

“It is my belief that both Assam and the entire nation should follow the path shown by Sankardeva’, he said.

Gogoi, who visited the sattra along with the Congress MLA, said that there was no crowd in and around the premises.

‘A rumour was spread that a law and order situation could have risen if Gandhi had visited the place. The Chief Minister has stamped a black spot in the history of Batadrava and the legacy of Sri Sankardeva’, the Congress MP from Kaliabor said.

Gogoi claimed they offered prayers of peace and harmony on behalf of Gandhi and all priests who were present in the premises extended their blessings to him.

Earlier, when Nagaon SP Navaneet Mahanta and Additional District Commissioner Lakhyajyoti Das explained why he could not be allowed to visit the sattra, Gandhi questioned, “Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple and when?”

Ramesh said when the authorities had said there could be a law and order problem, Gandhi offered to go there alone but this too was refused.

‘We were given permission to visit the Sattra on January 11 and the managing committee had welcomed the visit but suddenly on January 20, we were told that he could visit only after the consecration of the Ram temple is over’, Ramesh said.

After Gandhi was not allowed to visit Batadrava, the Morigaon district administration in a letter to the district Congress organisers asked Gandhi to refrain from holding street corner meetings and a foot march as a part of the Yatra saying miscreants may try to disrupt peace in the district.

‘In the interest of Rahul Gandhi’s safety and security, who is a ‘Z plus Advance Security Liasoning (ASL) protectee along with our responsibility to avert any probable law and order disruption in Morigaon district, we request that the party refrain from proposed street corner meeting and padayatra in Morigaon town’, the letter read.

The authorities also requested the party not to stop carcade during his roadshow at Morigaon district till he reached the Golsepa alighting point for lunch and rest.

‘This negates all earlier permissions accorded by the district administration for holding any public meeting/Padyatra in Morigaon district in connection with the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on January 22’, the letter stated.

Meanwhile, the state Director General of Police G P Singh had posted on ‘X’ that unscheduled stoppages should be avoided.

The participants of the road event were advised not to physically counter locals protesting the event and leave the same to the deployed police contingent, he said.

The Yatra later entered Meghalaya and it will return to Assam on Tuesday.

Gandhi will address students at the University if Science and Technology in Meghalaya.

Ramesh said that Gandhi will travel only on the route on which BJP president J P Nadda travelled recently as the party does not want any law and order situation to be created.

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