In a recent development, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could face arrest after this year’s Lok Sabha elections. The statement comes in the wake of an FIR filed by the Assam Police against Gandhi and several other Congress leaders for their alleged involvement in instigating violence during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ passing through Assam.
The Assam Police took suo moto cognizance of the violence and registered an FIR, citing criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, rioting, assault on public servants, damage to public property, among other charges. The case has been transferred to the Assam CID for investigation.
Sarma, who ordered the FIR against Gandhi, accused him of inciting the crowd to break barricades and enter Guwahati, leading to scuffles resulting in injuries to Congress workers, police personnel, and leaders. The Assam government claimed that Congress workers deviated from the prescribed route and attempted to take a thoroughfare not designated for the Yatra.
Earlier, Sarma had advised Gandhi against visiting the birthplace of Assamese icon Srimanta Sankardeva in Nagaon district due to ongoing Ram Temple festivities. Gandhi was subsequently stopped from visiting the shrine.
Responding to the accusations, Rahul Gandhi challenged the Assam government, daring them to file as many cases as they can. He asserted that he cannot be intimidated by such legal actions and criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for attempting to intimidate him.
In a series of verbal exchanges, both Gandhi and Sarma have been trading barbs, labeling each other as cowardly and corrupt. Sarma, in a social media post, accused Gandhi of orchestrating violence and then fleeing the city in a small car after traveling in a fancy bus during his Yatra. The political tension between the two leaders has escalated over the past few days.
As the Lok Sabha elections approach, the situation remains tense, with the Assam government vowing to pursue legal action against Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders for their alleged involvement in the violence during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.
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