New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was stopped at Saharanpur’s border by police on Saturday afternoon. Gandhi wanted to visit the district in western Uttar Pradesh, which is tense after clashes earlier this week.
Speaking to media after being stopped by the cops, Gandhi said: “I wanted to visit Saharanpur, I was stopped from going there… I am returning today on the request of administration.”
“In today’s India there is no place for weaker sections of society. It is a duty of the government to protect every citizen. NDA government has spread fear among weaker sections all across country,” Gandhi added.
Gandhi was accompanied by Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Raj Babbar. He had been denied permission by the Uttar Pradesh police for a visit to Saharanpur on Friday.
Senior police officer Aditya Mishra had told media on Friday that no politician is being allowed to visit the town for now. Mishra did not name Gandhi, but said political leaders will have to wait for a few days before they can plan visits to Saharanpur, about 181 km from national capital Delhi.
Congress leaders in Delhi however had said Gandhi’s visit aimed to “take stock of the prevailing situation”. He had planned to visit Shabbirpur village, the epicentre of clashes between Dalits and Thakurs or Rajputs since last month. The BJP condemned the move calling it “political tourism”.
On Tuesday, a Dalit man was killed and several people were injured when a mob attacked supporters of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati with swords and guns soon after she held a rally in Shabbirpur. Before Mayawati’s rally 12 homes in the village belonging to Rajputs had been set afire by unknown people and the mob attack was seen as retaliation. Groups of Dalits then attacked shops and markets.
The Yogi Adityanth government of the BJP in UP has blamed Mayawati’s visit and has called the continuing incidents of violence in the area a “well-planned conspiracy.”
