As a group of BJP workers chanted “Jai Shri Ram” and raised “Modi, Modi” slogans in front of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra bus in Assam’s Nagaon, the Congress leader waved, gave flying kisses and stepped down to meet them.
“Our ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan‘ (shop of love) is open for everyone. ‘Judega Bharat, Jeetega Hindustan’,” Mr Gandhi said in a post on X while sharing a video of the incident.
सबके लिए खुली है मोहब्बत की दुकान,
जुड़ेगा भारत, जीतेगा हिंदुस्तान।?? pic.twitter.com/Bqae0HCB8f
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 21, 2024
Later addressing a public meeting in Assam, the Congress MP narrated the incident and said the Congress is neither scared of Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Congress has claimed that its leaders, including Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh, were targeted by BJP supporters during the Assam leg of the Manipur-to-Maharashtra Nyay Yatra.
The BJP, however, claimed that Gandhi was rattled after “Jai Shri Ram” and “Modi, Modi” slogans were raised in his presence.
“If this is how rattled he is, how will he face the people of this country in days ahead, after the anti-Hindu Congress rejected the invite to be part of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ (January 22 Ram temple consecration ceremony ) in Ayodhya?” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya said on X tagging the video.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said some people chanted “‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Modi, Modi” during the yatra “so Rahul Gandhi arrogantly charges at them”.
“Security personnel stopped him. ‘Mohabbat ki dukaan‘ or ‘Ahankaar ki Dukaan‘ (shop of arrogance) Shameful and atrocious behaviour by entitled dynast! He even made kissing actions to the crowd!!” he said on X.
At the public meeting, Mr Gandhi said, “Some 2-3 kms before, around 20-25 BJP workers carrying sticks came in front of our bus, and when I came out from the bus, they ran away…they think that the Congress is scared of BJP and RSS workers.”
“What kind of dream are they seeing. They can tear as many posters and placards as they want, we don’t care, and are not bothered. We are not scared of anybody, we are neither scared of Narendra Modi nor the chief minister here,” he said.
During his earlier Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra, Mr Gandhi had made similar gestures to a crowd which chanted “Modi, Modi” slogans when the march was in Rajasthan.
The Congress has alleged that the “attacks” on its yatra have the backing of Chief Minister Sarma.
In his speech at Nagaon public meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge targeted Mr Sarma, saying, “This is something like ‘Meri billi mujh se meow’.”
“The cat which once belonged to the Congress is now doing ‘meow’ to us,” Mr Kharge said. Mr Sarma had quit the Congress to join the BJP in 2015. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said his vehicle was attacked by some BJP protesters but he kept his composure and moved on.
“My vehicle was attacked a few minutes ago at Jumugurihat, Sunitpur, by an unruly BJP crowd who also tore off the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra stickers from the windshield. They threw water and shouted anti-BJNY (Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra) slogans,” he said.
“But we kept our composure, waved to the hooligans and sped away. This is undoubtedly the Assam Chief Minister’s doing. We are not intimidated and will soldier on,” Ramesh said.
AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said, “Complete lawlessness at display in Assam. All along the yatra route, the Chief Minister has stationed his goons to attack the yatra and disrupt our peaceful march for justice.”
“He’s completely mistaken to think this will deter us. If anything, this has given us more strength to ensure his and Narendra Modi’s defeat, ” he said.
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will pass through 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in 15 states, traversing 6,713 km, mostly in buses but also on foot, and culminate in Mumbai on March 20 or 21. It began from Thoubal in Manipur on January 14.
