As the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passed through Jamugurihat in Assam’s Sonitpur district on Sunday, a group of men carrying BJP flags attacked vehicles that were part of the yatra, including one in which Congress leader Jairam Ramesh was travelling, leaders of the Opposition party said.
“My vehicle was attacked a few minutes ago at Jamugurihat, Sonitpur by an unruly BJP crowd who also tore off the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra stickers from the windshield,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
“They threw water and shouted anti-BJNY (Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra) slogans. But we kept our composure, waved to the hooligans and sped away. This is undoubtedly the Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s doing. We are not intimidated and will soldier on,” he added in the post.
Sarma then took to X and directed police to look into the allegations.
सबके लिए खुली है मोहब्बत की दुकान,जुड़ेगा भारत, जीतेगा हिंदुस्तान।🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Bqae0HCB8f
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 21, 2024
As vehicles of the yatra started passing through the area where the men wielding flags were gathered, they tried to pull down a person who was in the first car to come through. They also snatched the camera of a journalist who was present at the site.
आज BJP के कुछ कार्यकर्ता झंडा लेकर हमारी बस के सामने आ गए। मैं बस से निकला, वो भाग गए।
हमारे जितने पोस्टर फाड़ने हैं, फाड़ दो.. हमें कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता।
हमारी विचारधारा की लड़ाई है, हम किसी से नहीं डरते हैं।
न ही नरेंद्र मोदी से, न असम के मुख्यमंत्री से..
: @RahulGandhi जी… pic.twitter.com/syS7BGCBqO
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 21, 2024
The men were still at the spot when the bus in which Rahul Gandhi was travelling passed through the area. They chanted “Modi, Modi” as the bus slowed down while passing them. From inside the bus, Rahul blew kisses at them.
Earlier in the morning, CM Sarma addressed a press conference and appealed to organisers of the Congress’s yatra to not visit Batadrava Than – a pilgrimage site in Nagaon – on Monday (January 22) morning as scheduled. He said a visit to the site at the same time as the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya could show Assam in the wrong light, and that there should not be an image of competition between Batadrava Than and the Ram Temple.
Batadrava Than is the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva, a major religious and cultural figure in Assam.
“We are happy that Rahul Gandhi will visit the Than, but tomorrow around 10,000 people will gather here. At that time we do not want Rahul Gandhi to come here, because there may be some difficulties in the process of welcoming him. Today the Karnadhar Committee of Batadrava Than Management Committee has decided that 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,” Jogendra Narayan Dev Mahanta, president of Batadrava Than Management Committee, was quoted as saying by ANI.