Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during the course of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, reached Meghalaya today, where he addressed a gathering at the Ri-bhoi district.
Addressing the crowd, Gandhi talked of the idea behind starting the Nyay Yatra from trouble-torn Manipur. Here, he blamed the BJP an RSS for the crisis that continues to engulf Manipur.
"The reason is that the ideology of the RSS and BJP has destroyed the idea of Manipur. The politics of hatred and violence have torn the state apart, causing hundreds of deaths and thousands of people to lose their property. It's a complete tragedy! That's why we wanted to send a message to the rest of India about the pain the people of Manipur are feeling," said Gandhi.
The Cognress leader also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur even once ever since the violence broke out.
"It's astonishing to me that the PM of India hasn't visited Manipur yet. Is Manipur not an Indian state? Are the people of Manipur not part of India? If the PM wants to stop the violence in Manipur, he can do it in three days. The truth is, he is not interested in putting an end to the violence in Manipur," said Gandhi.
Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered Meghalaya today after being denied entry to Batadrava Than in Nagaon, Assam.
Simultaneously, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders did a sit-in protest over being denied entry to Batadrava Than.
A political storm erupted as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was denied entry to the Batadrava Shrine. The incident occurred during Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, a significant outreach program by the Congress party.
Jairam Ramesh outlined a sequence of events leading up to the denial. Initially, local Congress MLAs Shibomani Barua and Rana Goswami had met with the Bordowa Than Satradhikar (temple head) on January 11th, conveying Gandhi's wish to visit the temple early on January 22nd. The Satradhikar had welcomed this request. However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma later announced that Gandhi could only visit after 3 pm on the same day, coinciding with the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, suggesting a deliberate clash of schedules.
Ramesh alleged that the temple management committee was pressured by the Assam CM, who in turn was acting under instructions from Delhi. Despite earlier approval, the Satradhikar stated on January 21st that due to expected crowds, Gandhi should postpone his visit to after 3 pm. This sudden change of plans led to a sit-in protest by Gandhi in Nagaon, where he questioned the motives behind the restriction.