Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra: Amidst FIR, arrest threats, Rahul Gandhi claims BJP-RSS want to rule from Delhi

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the BJP and RSS support the idea of governing the country from Delhi. The Congress, on the other hand, supports local governance and lays equal importance on all states and regions, he added.

Speaking at a public gathering at Gogamukh in Assam's Lakhimpur district on the second day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state, Gandhi said his party does not favour the Centre being the sole deciding power. "The BJP and RSS believe that Hindustan should be governed from Delhi, with one language and one leader. We disagree. Assam will not be governed from Delhi; it will be governed from Assam," he said.

Emphasising that the Congress values all states equally, Gandhi said that is why he initiated this march from Manipur in the east to Mumbai in the west. "We chose Manipur because we wanted to send out the message to everyone that the Northeastern states are as important as other states. It is as important to conserve their history, language and culture as of any other place," he said.

He took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur even as the state continues to be rocked by ethnic strife since May last year. "For the first time in history of India, a civil war-like situation is prevailing in a state. There has been violence since months, hatred is being spread, people are being killed, property burnt. But the PM has not visited the state even for a single time. He cannot go there as it will expose the political reality of the BJP," he claimed.

For the second day in a row, Gandhi criticised Himanta Biswa Sarma and termed him the "most corrupt" CM. "The CM of Assam is so corrupt that he can give lessons to his counterparts of other BJP-led ruled states on how to commit corruption," he added.

He said during his interactions with the youth in the state, they lamented the lack of employment opportunities in spite of being well-educated. Blaming BJP for the unemployment, Gandhi said, "The government works only for 2-3 millionaires. In Delhi, it works for Adani ji and in Assam, even that is not needed. The CM's family is here for all the corruption. The CM has taught everyone how to do it," the Congress leader claimed.

Earlier in the day, an FIR was filed in Assam’s Jorhat town against the organiser of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, K.B. Byju, for diverting the permitted route, officials said. An official stated that the march diverged in the town on Thursday rather than proceeding as allowed towards K.B. Road, resulting in a "chaotic situation".

“The unexpected influx of people caused some people to fall, creating a situation akin to a stampede. The Jorhat Sadar Police Station has received a suo motu police report against the yatra and its principal organiser,” he added. The official also said the yatra breached road safety regulations and did not adhere to district administration rules, as stated in the FIR.

Assam Opposition leader Debabrata Saikia, meanwhile, claimed that the FIR was a ruse to erect needless barriers in the way of the Yatra. “The PWD point's traffic diversion was not manned by any police. We had a large gathering, and the designated route was too tiny. We therefore made a brief detour of a few meters. Himanta Biswa Sarma now wishes to sabotage the yatra because he is afraid of it succeeding on its first day in Assam,” Saikia claimed.

In his turn, CM Biswa Sarma media in Guwahati that "if the Congress reach Guwahati without permission, no case will be filed then as I don't want to give them unnecessary limelight in the national media". However,

However, he warned that a case would be filed later and two "bad elements" participating in the rally would be arrested a few months after the Lok Sabha elections, though he did not reveal who these 'elements' are.

Speaking to media on Friday morning, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Assam CM was trying to "derail" the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state because he was alarmed by the response from the people. 

Gandhi ended the day's journey at Gogamukh, from where it will proceed to bordering Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday and return to Assam on Sunday. The second day's journey began with a ferry ride of the yatra entourage over the Brahmaputra from Nimatighat in Jorhat district to Majuli, the island-district.

The march reached Gogamukh by road, with the convoy halting at different places as Gandhi waved and interacted with people who lined up the route.

With inputs from agencies