GUWAHATI: Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, who was prevented by the police in Assam on Monday from going to Batadrava Than, the birthplace of 15th-16th century saint-reformer Sankardeva, took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating “only one person can go to a temple today”.
“Aaj sirf ek vyakti mandir mein ja sakta hain (Only one person can go to a temple today). I was invited there on the 11th (January). Now, they have been pressured. Obviously, they have been ordered from the top. They don’t want me to go,” Rahul said.
The Congress leader, who was in the state leading the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, planned to visit the Batadrava Than and offer prayers on January 22, between 8 am and 9 am as the monastery holds importance for the followers of neo-Vaishnavism.
On January 21, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asked Rahul to visit the monastery past 3 pm on Monday as the Ayodhya Ram temple consecration was slated for the morning. If the Congress leader visits the monastery in the morning, then news channels could end up showcasing it as a competition between the Ram temple and the monastery, Sarma said.
After police blocked Rahul from proceeding to the monastery, he sat on a dharna. However, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who was with Rahul, was allowed to visit the monastery. Later, the yatra left for Meghalaya.