Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his sister and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday when they were on their way to violence-hit Sambhal.
The police stopped their convoy at Ghazipur border near the national capital. The delegation, which included several Congress leaders, was headed to meet the families of the victims of the violence.
Addressing the media at the Ghazipur border, the Leader of Opposition in the Lower House said, “The police stopped us from going to Sambhal. Being the Leader of Opposition, it is my right and duty to go there. Yet I was stopped. This is against the Constitution.”
He stated that he was ready to go alone with the police, but they did not accept that either.
Asserting that his constitutional right was not being given to him, Gandhi said, “This is the new India, this is the India to end the Constitution.”
“Why is the BJP scared? Why is it pushing the police to hide its failures? Why is it suppressing the message of truth and brotherhood?,” he questioned.
Echoing similar sentiments, Vadra stated that Gandhi cannot be stopped like this as being the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, he has the constitutional right to be allowed to go and meet the victims.
Slamming the BJP, she said, “BJP is afraid of the voice of justice. BJP is afraid of humanity and love. BJP is afraid of brotherhood and unity. To save its ‘market of hatred’, BJP wants to barricade every message of love.”
Earlier, Congress general secretary in-charge of Organistaion KC Venugopal, who accompanied Gandhi, slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government and asked what it was trying to hide.
“What is the reason behind the UP Government stopping the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition from visiting the families of those who lost their lives in the violence? It is basic humanity to stand by someone who has suffered such grief and loss,” he wrote in a post on X.
Asserting that Gandhi’s motto has been ‘nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan’, Venugopal said, “And when the ruling regime has created an atmosphere of hatred, it is our duty as the opposition to bring compassion, empathy and love. We are determined to meet the victims’ families in the interest of peace and communal harmony in our country, the UP government must allow the delegation to visit Sambhal.”
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has also questioned the state government’s move to stop opposition leaders from meeting the victims, reiterating his allegations that the violence was a BJP conspiracy.
“What does the BJP Govt want to hide? From the first day, everyone, including the Samajwadi Party, has said that whatever the Sambhal administration has done, that is on the instructions of the BJP… They are not allowing delegations from any party to visit Sambhal. What are they trying to hide?” he said.
Earlier, a delegation of the SP and the state unit of the Congress was also stopped from meeting the victims of the Sambhal violence.
At least five people were killed, allegedly in police firing, during the violence in Sambhal that broke out on November 24 when a team from the local administration went to conduct a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid.