-, Jan 23, 2024, India Blooms News Service
Guwahati/IBNS: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Monday referred to Rahul Gandhi as Ravan when he was asked why the Congress leader was not allowed to enter a temple in his state.
The reference though, was of Ravan, the 10-headed demon king in the epic Ramayana.
The BJP has been comparing the Congress to Ravan since its three top leaders declined the invite to join the temple inauguration in Ayodhya which took place earlier in the day, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Why are you talking about Ravan? Sarma replied. At least talk about Ram today? After 500 years, today is a good day to talk about Ram. Today at least let us not talk of Ravan, he said.
Rahul Gandhi is currently conducting the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra thats passing through Assam, where the Congress claimed its convoy has been attacked.
Earlier in the morning, Gandhi was stopped from entering Assams well-known Batadrava Satra Temple, the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva, an Assamese saint and scholar from the 15th century, in Nagaon.
The Congress leader registered a protest by sitting on a dharna on the road in Nagaon, singing Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.
Later, he was stopped from continuing the foot march, Gandhi held a street corner meeting in the neighbouring Morigaon district.
On Sunday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had urged Gandhi to reconsider the route for his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, citing concerns about potential clashes with the programmes to be held in the state alongside the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Gandhi was not invited to the Ram Temple consecration ceremony. The invite went to party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury but all of whom declined, pointing to the politicisation of a religious event ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.