‘Ready to go alone but not being allowed’: Rahul Gandhi after being stopped from visiting Sambhal | Delhi News
The Congress delegation, led by Lok Sabha MPs Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, was stopped at the Gazipur Border Wednesday morning while on its way to violence-hit Sambhal.
Constitution in hand, Rahul said: “I am ready to go alone to Sambhal with police, but am not being allowed.”
The district administration and police had already put up a blockade at the border to stop the delegation to Sambhal, where outsiders have been barred from visiting.
Prohibitory orders are also in place in the district, where last week, several Samajwadi Party (SP) MPs were stopped from entering the district.
Curbs under Section 163 (power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which were set to expire on Sunday, have now been extended till December 31 in Sambhal.
Reacting to the move, senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said: “Our delegation headed to Sambhal led by LOP Sh. @RahulGandhi ji and Smt. @priyankagandhi ji has been stopped at the UP border in Ghaziabad. What is the reason behind the UP Government stopping the Lok Sabha LOP 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 added, “Rahulji’s motto has been ‘Nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan’. 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.”
All public representatives have been told that it will be better if they do not come to Sambhal till December 10, Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar had told news agency PTI. “For this, a message has also been sent to them and they have also been informed about BNSS 163 being enforced in Sambhal. I hope that they will cooperate with us in maintaining the peace and order of Sambhal,” he added.
District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia on Tuesday also wrote a letter to the police commissioners of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad and the superintendents of police of Amroha and Bulandshahr districts, urging them to stop Gandhi at the borders of their districts keeping in mind the “communal sensitivity” of Sambhal.
“Police are citing BNS 163 in their missive. So we will insist that they allow at least 4 people. If stopped, we will push for allowing Rahul ji, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji, UP incharge Avinash Pande ji and myself to enter,” Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI.
Congress legislative party leader Aradhana Mishra Mona told reporters that she had been put under house arrest. “I am under house arrest. This is ‘gundagardi’ (hooliganism) and ‘arajakta’ (anarchy) of the government. Rahul ji, Congress party and I will visit Sambhal today, tomorrow or whenever we can,” she said.
