‘Congress New Muslim League’: BJP vs India faction over Rahul Gandhi’s planned Sambhal Yatra

Last updated:December 04, 2024, 15:21 IST

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police from visiting violence-hit Sambhal citing prohibitory orders, triggering a political war of words and allegations and counter-allegations from both the BJP and the Congress.

Rahul Gandhi talking to the media after being stopped at Ghazipur border while on his way to visit violence-hit Sambhal (Photo: PTI)

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s scheduled visit to Sambhal on Wednesday sparked a political row, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party targeting each other. While the Congress described the barring of the Gandhi family as “injustice”, the BJP said the party has now become the “new Muslim League”.

The situation turned chaotic after massive traffic was witnessed at Ghazipur border on Delhi-Meerut Expressway as Uttar Pradesh Police put up barricades and started checking vehicles to prevent any untoward incident.

Heavy security was also deployed to prevent the Gandhi family and other Congress MPs from visiting the violence-hit city, which left five people dead on November 24.

Congress workers violated the barricades and also scuffled with the commuters on the road, who faced a tough time in reaching their destinations due to traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, when the police stopped Rahul Gandhi at the Ghazipur border citing prohibitory orders, members of the Congress youth wing raised slogans and waved the party flag.

After hours of standoff, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi were picked up by the Uttar Pradesh police in their van and taken to Parliament House in Delhi.

As the entire incident unfolded, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the police action as “injustice” and said it was time to think about the future.

”This is injustice, a public representative has the right to go and see if there is any very important issue and listen to the voice of the public. It is wrong not to let them go. This is the time to think about the future, for how long will we talk about history? Speaking to reporters outside Parliament today, Tharoor said, “This is not right, he should have been allowed to go.”

Party MP Renuka Chaudhary also said that Congress will continue the protest.

“They won’t let them go, they can’t face the truth. We will continue to protest. Do we spoil the environment or are we stopped? Who will take responsibility for what is happening in Sambhal?

Later, party MP KC Venugopal claimed that the police told him that the delegation would be allowed to leave after about five days.

“The police informed us that they will allow us after four to five days. They have deliberately blocked the traffic. We do not want to create problems for the common people, he told reporters.

Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP was trying to create an atmosphere of ‘no development’. He also alleged that the Sambhal incident was deliberately staged by the BJP.

Speaking to reporters, Yadav said, “BJP is deliberately trying to create such an environment, they neither want progress, nor prosperity, nor development. The biggest crime they committed was when they did not allow people to vote.”

Commenting on Rahul Gandhi being stopped from going to Sambal, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha said, ‘The situation will improve when you allow people from the opposition to go there. What problem do you have with this? “The only people who will have a problem with this are authoritarians and dictators.”

BJP said, Congress is ‘new Muslim League’

Criticizing the Gandhi family over their planned Sambhal tour, BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya alleged that the family visits temples only during elections.

In an X-post, Malviya wrote, “Why are Rahul Gandhi and his sister going to Sambhal? They will not go to Harihar temple to worship. The Gandhi family visits temples only during elections and there are no elections in Uttar Pradesh right now.

“Rahul Gandhi is taking care to ensure that the entire Muslim vote bank there does not go to the Samajwadi Party. Their only objective is to spread communal frenzy. They do not know how much inconvenience this is causing to people and how much the Hindu society is feeling hurt. Congress has become the new Muslim League,” a rough translation of his post in Hindi suggested.

Commenting on the matter, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said, “LOP is a statutory term, not a constitutional one. There is no constitutional right to do politics over sponsored attacks on police.”

Addressing a press conference on Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi’s scheduled visit to Sambhal and how they were stopped in Ghaziabad, the BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi today alleged that the Congress is pushing its own agenda, while other parties in the Indian alliance have decided to follow their own path.

“Parliament is in session, and people have noticed the differences within the INDI alliance and their negative approach towards the Constitution. Yesterday, 42 notices were received under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha and importantly, the notices received were for nine different subjects,” the BJP MP said.

“It was clear that Congress was pushing its own agenda and other parties in the INDI alliance decided to follow their own path. After not being able to take the alliance parties together in the House, Rahul Gandhi today tried to take control of sensitive Uttar Pradesh out of compulsion. “It was just a formality to attract media attention because he has failed to keep the Indian coalition together,” Trivedi said in Delhi.

Commenting on the matter, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya while talking to reporters today said, “S.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are unsuccessfully playing politics to get Muslim votes. This is a drama and it will not benefit either side, they will be finished.”

“The country is with the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is peace in Sambhal now, but they want to influence it. They are unable to afford the welfare of the country,” Maurya said.

Second Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said, “I want to appeal to all the leaders to help the administration in restoring peace. The UP government stands with the people, but these leaders want to visit only for votes, there is no problem if they go after the situation becomes normal, there will be no restrictions.

Despite restrictions under section 163 (power to issue orders in urgent cases of disturbance or threatened danger) of the Indian Civil Security Code (BNSS), the Congress delegation planned to visit Sambhal and meet the families of those killed in the violence. Had planned. ,

The restrictions were due to be lifted on 1 December. However, now it has been extended till December 31.

The Ghaziabad Police Commissioner had earlier informed PTI that they would not allow Rahul Gandhi to proceed towards Sambhal due to the prohibitory orders imposed by the administration there.

Violence broke out during the second survey on 24 November when protesters gathered near the royal Jama Masjid and clashed with security personnel.

Five people died in this violence, while many people were injured.