“What the Assam CM is doing against the yatra is actually helping the yatra”: Rahul Gandhi welcomes the obstruction, calls it a boost to the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday thanked Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma for allegedly disrupting the yatra. This comes after the obstruction of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra's entry into Assam by the state police, leading to confrontations between Congress workers and the forces. According to Rahul Gandhi, this action has only helped the yatra, making it a prime issue in the state.

“Clear problem in Assam, chief minister of this state one of the most corrupt CMs in the country,” said Rahul Gandhi addressing a press conference. He further stated that the alleged endeavors undertaken by the state in hindering the progress of the rally are in turn helping the rally get more attention than what it would have otherwise. “What the Assam CM is doing against the yatra is actually helping the yatra. We are getting the publicity that we may not have got otherwise. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra has become a main issue in Assam. I want them to continue disrupting the yatra and help it reach more people,” added Rahul Gandhi.

Sharpening his attack on the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said, “They help the cause of the yatra by disrupting it, I want BJP to continue to disrupt the proceedings of the yatra. They are only helping us. They stopped us from entering a college; the students came out for the gathering. They are simply helping us.”

Taking a jibe at the Assam CM and the BJP-led Central government, Rahul Gandhi asserted that “politics of intimidation” will never deter him from his goals. “I do not get intimidated easily. Hit me, threaten me, harass me, do what you want. When I make up my mind to do something, I always do it. Nothing scares me or deters me when I make up my mind to do something,” said the Wayanad MP.

Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi along with nearly 5,000 Congress workers trying to enter Guwahati on Tuesday was stopped by the state police. The party workers clashed with the police forces and broke barricades. The police had to lathi-charge to disperse the crown and bring the situation under control.

The Assam CM instructed the police to file a case against Rahul Gandhi for “provoking the crowd” after Congress workers and the state police clashed at the Guwahati border. “These are not part of Assamese culture. We are a peaceful state. Such "Naxalite tactics" are completely alien to our culture. I have instructed DGP Assam Police to register a case against your leader Rahul Gandhi for provoking the crowd,” said Himanta Biswa Sharma.

On Monday Rahul Gandhi was denied permission to enter Assam's Batadrava Satra temple, the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva near Guwahati. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma had asked Rahul Gandhi and his yatra entourage to not visit the temple at the time of the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. The temple's managing body requested Gandhi to visit the temple after 3 pm. Rahul Gandhi along with the other Congress leaders sat down on a dharna after meeting with the roadblock. Congress has alleged that the Assam Government has been creating roadblocks in the way of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra since it entered the state on Thursday.