On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was stopped by Assamese authorities from entering the Batadrava Satra Temple in Nagaon, the birthplace of the 15th-century Assamese scholar and saint Srimanta Sankardeva. Only Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora were allowed past the barricades to visit the Than.
Gandhi said, “We want to visit the temple,” in response to the limitations placed upon him.
“What transgression have I committed to warrant my exclusion from the temple?” “We don’t want to create any problems; we simply want to pray at the temple,” he stated.
After the occurrence, a sit-in protest in Nagaon was initiated by Congress leaders and Gandhi.
The Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, said the importance of avoiding unnecessary competition between the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple and the visit to the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva at Batadrava.
Sarma, in a statement yesterday, appealed to Gandhi to reassess his plans, expressing concerns that conflicting events might have a detrimental effect on the reputation of Assam.
“As the TV channels will be showing the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony on one side and him visiting Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva’s birthplace on the other, I implore Rahul Gandhi to avoid promoting the idea that the Ram Temple and Batadrava Satra are in rivalry with one another. For Assam, this won’t be good,” Sarma said.
The Congress has planned nationwide protests, citing “planned attacks” on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra convoys in Assam. KC Venugopal, the general secretary of the party, called the Assam Chief Minister “the most corrupt chief minister in India” and accused him of planning assaults against their leaders, properties, and convoys.
Venugopal condemned the BJP-led government in Assam for what he called an “assault on democracy” and urged for widespread rallies across the nation.
