Rahul escapes unhurt as his car attacked at Bihar border

Kolkata/Berhampore: Congress scion Rahul Gandhi’s car on Wednesday came under attack during his return to West Bengal from Bihar through Malda district, during his “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra”. Though he escaped unhurt, the rear windshield of his car in the convoy was broken in the attack by a group of stone pelters.

The Congress, on its official X handle, however, said the window pane was damaged when sudden brakes had to be applied due to a woman coming in front of the vehicle in Malda.

The incident, which apparently took place amidst a heavy crowd at Diwangunge in Harish-chandrapur of Malda close to the Bengal-Bihar border, left the Congress divided in putting the blame on West Bengal's ruling Trinamul Congress government.

While Lok Sabha Congress leader and state party chief Adhir Ranjan Choudhury pointed fingers at the TMC for the attack, AICC leader Jairam Ramesh, however, spared the ruling party of the state.

Mr Choudhury, who was present in the car with Mr Gandhi, said, “Some unknown armed miscreants pelted stones which broke the rear windshield of our car at Diwangunge.”

On the identity of the attackers, he quipped, “You can guess who the culprits were,” before narrating how the grand public outreach campaign faced obstructions in the Bengal leg.

In contrast, Mr Ramesh underlined his party president Mallikarjun Khar-ge’s apprehensions in his letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, about some miscreants who could try to tarnish the image of her government, during Mr Gandhi's tour in Bengal. He said in a brief remark, “There will be no compromise on Mr Gandhi’s security.”

Ms Banerjee, who was in the same district earlier in the day as part of her North Bengal tour, later said, “An incident happened. Rahul’s car was attacked. Its windshield was broken in the attack. We neither like nor indulge in such incidents. What is the point in making a drama?”

She added, “Anyway, I condemn such incidents. Rahul is very junior to me. He and his family members are well known to me also. In fact, I started my political career in the Congress. Later I inquired and came to know that this heinous incident took place at Katihar in Bihar at the border with Bengal and not in Malda. They entered Bengal with the broken car. In Bihar, BJP and Nitish Kumar have united. So they may have a grudge. Such incidents don’t happen here.