Chronology Samajhiye: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh after Rahul Gandhi denied entry to Assam's Batadrava shrine
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to platform X reacting over the entire sequence of events that led to the denial of Rahul Gandhi's entry to Batadrava Than
- Jan 22, 2024,
- Updated Jan 22, 2024, 2:10 PM IST
Amid the ongoing dispute between the Congress and the Assam Government regarding Rahul Gandhi's visit to Batadrava Than, Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, reacted on the situation by stating 'Chronology Samajhiye'.
According to a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said that the head of the Batadrava Shrine had initially welcomed Gandhi's visit. However, the Assam Chief Minister later announced that Gandhi could only visit Batadrava Than after 3 pm on the same day. This time coincided with the Pran Pratishtha day of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.
Jairam Ramesh in a long post on X wrote, "Chronology Samajhiye" on January 11, 2024, the local Congress MLA Shibhomani Barua and another MLA Rana Goswami met the Bordowa Than Satradhikar and informed him of Rahul Gandhi's desire to spend a few minutes in the early hours of January 22nd during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra coinciding with the Pran Pratishtha day of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.
On January 20th evening, the Assam CM suddenly announced that Rahul Gandhi cannot visit the Bordowa Than on the morning of January 22nd and could do so ONLY after 3pm the same day. On the morning of January 21st, the Satradhikar makes a statement that because of huge crowds expected at the Than on the morning of January 22nd, Rahul Gandhi should visit the holy place after 3pm. This he said was the decision of the Management Committee. It is obvious that the Bordowa Than Management Committee was pressurised by the Assam CM into taking the decision it did, who in turn has been instructed from Delhi.
This morning after much negotiation, ONLY the local MP and the local MLA were allowed to visit the Bordowa Than. It is unprecedented that the local MP and local MLA had to negotiate their visit when they should have been able to move about freely in their own constituency!
This decision, according to Jairam Ramesh, was influenced by pressure from the Assam CM, who was acting under instructions from Delhi. The Congress party perceived this as an orchestrated move to prevent their leader from visiting the shrine.
The situation escalated when, after negotiations on Monday morning, only the local Member of Parliament and Member of Legislative Assembly were granted permission to visit the Bordowa Than. Ramesh criticized this as unprecedented, arguing that elected representatives should have the freedom to move about in their constituencies without such restrictions.
Rahul Gandhi, upon his arrival at the Batadrava Than—the birthplace of the revered Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardeva—questioned the motives behind the denial, asking rhetorically what crime he had committed that barred him from visiting the temple. He remarked that perhaps only one person was allowed to visit the temple that day, an apparent jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was attending the 'Pran Pratishta' ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
In response to the incident, Congress workers staged a protest at the site. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, was on its Assam leg at the time, aiming to unite the country and address issues of justice.