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Himanta Sarma’s Legal Threats As “Intimidation”: Rahul Gandhi

The chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has ordered that Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, be charged with a crime for allegedly “provoking the crowd” following a fight that broke out on Tuesday between Congressmen and police in Guwahati.

Following the denial of permission to enter the city boundaries, Congress workers protested, and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, was prevented from entering Guwahati earlier in the day.

Later, on the city’s outskirts, Gandhi spoke to party workers and supporters, calling them “babbar sher” (lions) who were powerful enough to knock down barriers. “We have broken barricades, but we will not break the law,” he said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Rahul Gandhi and his party members of “unruly behaviour” and “Naxalite tactics” on Twitter following the event.

“These are not part of Assamese culture. We are a peaceful state. Such “Naxalite tactics” are completely alien to our culture. I have instructed @DGPAssamPolice to register a case against your leader @RahulGandhi for provoking the crowd & use the footage you have posted on your handles as the evidence,” the Assam Chief Minister wrote.

“Your unruly behaviour and violation of agreed guidelines have resulted in a massive traffic jam in Guwahati now,” he added.

To prevent traffic congestion, Himanta Biswa Sarma had already said that the Congress party’s yatra would not be permitted to enter the city.

Rahul Gandhi replied against Himanta Sarma by claiming that the Assam Chief Minister’s actions were “intimidation tactics” that would help the Congress party’s yatra.

“Whatever the Assam Chief Minister is doing against the yatra, it benefits the yatra. The publicity that we might not have gotten by doing this, the Assam Chief Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are helping us. Now, the main issue in Assam is the yatra…It is their intimidation tactics…Our message of Nyay is reaching the people. They are asking why are you stopping the yatra,” said Gandhi at a press conference.

A leading police officer in Assam, GP Singh, responded to the Chief Minister’s tweet by saying that legal measures were being taken. “Unruliness and violation of ASL decision, including an attempt to change route through force, is also being taken up with appropriate agencies,” the Assam DGP detailed.

On Monday, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra reached Meghalaya. It is now in its final stage, returning to Assam and passing through the suburbs of Guwahati, the state capital. The yatra will be in Assam till Thursday.

The BJP-ruled state of Assam has seen multiple obstacles for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which has been travelling through the Northeast. In the Nagaon area, Rahul Gandhi was also refused admission to the shrine marking Sankardeva’s birthplace.

The Congress has claimed that the Assam government is deliberately attacking the yatra’s convoys and leaders and adding needless barriers to their path.

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