Congress leaders said the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was attacked by BJP workers as it passed through Assam on Sunday. The vehicle of senior party MP Jairam Jamesh was allegedly attacked while media officials covering the event were “manhandled” by miscreants in Assam’s Sonitpur district. The incident took place as the Rahul Gandhi-led Yatra travelled from Biswanth district to Nagaon on its fourth day in the northeastern state.
“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 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,” asserted Jairam Ramesh.
Visuals shared online showed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi being escorted into the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra bus by security personnel amid the ruckus. The Wayanad lawmaker had moved towards a large crowd of people which included people holding BJP flags.
“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 Congress is scared of BJP and RSS, they’re dreaming. They can tear as many posters and placards as they want, we don’t care. we are not scared of anybody, we are neither scared of PM Narendra Modi nor Assam CM,” added Gandhi.
The Congress MP had earlier accused the BJP-led Assam government of refusing permissions for programmes along the yatra route and threatening people against joining the event.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) communications coordinator Mahima Singh told PTI that those covering the event had also been affected. The party official said that the media personnel had exited their vehicles to get visuals of a BJP program happening in the area.
“The camera, badge and other apparatus of a vlogger who has been covering the Yatra were snatched. Members of the social media team of the party were also manhandled…They created a very intimidating situation for us. They have refused to return the camera of the vlogger, claiming that it was not snatched,” she added,” she said.
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is scheduled to travel through Assam till January 25, covering a total of 833 km across 17 districts.
(With inputs from agencies)
