Congress workers and Assam police clashed in Guwahati as Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra re-entered Assam on Tuesday. Assam government has reportedly advised Rahul Gandhi to opt for the national highway instead of Guwahati’s arterial roads to avoid traffic jams in the city.
The Yatra, which entered Meghalaya on Monday, returned to Assam for its last leg and will travel through the outskirts of the state’s largest city Guwahati. The Yatra would be in Assam till Thursday. Assam government had advised Gandhi to opt National Highway 27 for his padayatra and skip the city roads to avoid traffic jams.
A large number of police personnel were deployed at Khanapara area, the entry point into Guwahati and barricades were set up to stop Congress workers from entering Guwahati city. Reportedly, the clashes began after Rahul Gandhi’s bus turned towards the city after entering Guwahati.
Congress workers clashed with police and tried to remove the barricades. However, the police had to lathi charge party workers to disperse them. According to reports, tension prevailed for about 30 minutes and the Yatra later took the highway route itself.
Addressing party cadres from the bus, Rahul Gandhi said, “We have broken barricades but will not break law.” Earlier today, permission was denied at the last minute for Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with students of a private university in Meghalaya. Gandhi has alleged that Home Ministry and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Baswa Sarma intervened to deny permission for his interaction programme with students in Meghalaya.
Ever since the yatra began, Rahul Gandhi and Assam CM have engaged in a war of words, with the Assam government restricting permissions to the yatra. On Monday, Gandhi was stopped from visiting the birthplace of iconic Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva and was asked to visit the temple after Ayodhya pran pratishtha. Congress accused the BJP government in the state of deliberately hindering the yatra.
