Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra stopped from entering Guwahati city

Guwahati: The Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was stopped from entering the capital city on Tuesday, triggering protests by Congress workers who broke barricades and raised slogans forcing police to lathi-charge in which few Congress workers including Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah were injured.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi told reporters that the Yatra is “benefitting from what Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is doing.” Reiterating that Assam chief minister is “the most corrupt CM” in the country, he said the Yatra has become the “main issue” in Assam right now.

Meanwhile Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the state police to file a case against Mr Rahul Gandhi for “provoking crowd”. "These are not part of Assamese culture. We are a peaceful state. Such “naxalite tactics” are completely alien to our culture. I have instructed DGP Assam Police to register a case against Rahul Gandhi for provoking the crowd and use the footage you have posted on your handles as the evidence," the Assam chief minister said in his social media post.

Earlier over 5,000 Congress workers, along with Mr Rahul Gandhi, trying to enter Guwahati were intercepted after the party restarted its ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Assam on Tuesday. Following this, party workers clashed with police officials and broke police barriers. Policemen resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.

Addressing supporters from bus top, Mr Gandhi said that while BJP president J P Nadda took the same route, they were not allowed to travel on it. "You should not think we are weak. We have broken the barricades," he told his workers and supporters, calling them "babbar sher" (lion).

"They have cancelled my programme at the university. My programme was cancelled, but the students heard me outside," he said.

"Congress workers do not fear anyone," he said, adding that "we will defeat the BJP in Assam and form the Congress government soon." He also lauded the police for doing their job well. "We know that police officers have done a good job and followed orders, with one person coming and lying down before the (yatra) bus. We are not against you. We are against the chief minister who is the most corrupt. Our fight is with him," said Mr Gandhi.

He said that policemen were also clapping on his speech but hastened to add that they should not. "We have won as we have broken the barricades," AICC in-charge for Assam Mr Jitendra Singh said. Mr Gandhi later proceeded from the designated route on the ring road.

It is significant that the Assam chief minister had announced that the Yatra would not be allowed to enter the city in order to avoid traffic jams.

Meanwhile, Assam Congress has accused the Assam government of creating problems against their yatra and lodging police complaints unnecessarily.

Mr Gandhi also alleged that his talk at a university was cancelled at the behest of home minister Amit Shah and the Assam CM.

Mr Gandhi, on Tuesday, participated in a NECC meeting at Queens Hotel, located on the Meghalaya-Assam border. He was also scheduled to meet Guwahati’s civil society members. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra resumed from the Queens Hotel at around 10 am. This is the tenth day of the yatra which will culminate in Assam’s Bishnupur.