Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
India

Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple, asks Rahul Gandhi

Darpan News Desk IANS, 22 Jan, 2024 04:02 PM
  • Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple, asks Rahul Gandhi

Guwahati, Jan 22 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would decide who will visit a temple in India after he was denied permission to visit the birthplace (sattra) of Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva in Assam’s Nagaon District on Monday, citing possible disruption of law and order.

Gandhi said, “This is strange because Rahul Gandhi cannot go there while everyone else can visit the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva. Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple and when?”

He and other senior Congress leaders and supporters staged a dharna at Haibargaon on the way to Sankardev's birthplace in Batadrava, while Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora went to the birthplace to settle the dispute.

Gandhi told reporters that like Sankardeva, the Congress party workers and leaders also believe in bringing people together and not spreading hatred.

“Sankardeva provides us with guidance and is similar to a guru. I therefore wanted to pay my respects to him when I arrived in Assam,” he said.

“We were informed on Sunday that there is a law and order situation, but earlier on January 11, we had received an invitation to visit the place," he said.

Rahul Gandhi said, “I will visit Batadrava as soon as I can. I think the whole nation should take the path that Sankardeva showed us.”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Sunday that he had asked Rahul Gandhi not to visit Batadrava before the Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya gets over. Soon after that the managing committee of the Sri Sankardeva Sattra announced that they would not permit the Congress leader to visit the sattra before 3 pm on Monday.

Gandhi and his group had left for the sattra early on Monday morning, but they were halted near Haibargaon by Additional District Commissioner, Lakhyajyoti Das and Nagaon SP Navaneet Mahanta and heavy security was deployed all around the sattra by the district administration.

Gandhi asked the police why they were preventing him from going to the sattra and said, “We just want to pray at the sattra. We don't want to cause any problems.”

Meanwhile, Gaurav Gogoi, who went to the sattra with local MLA Bora, said that it was absolutely empty. “There was a falsehood and rumour circulated that Gandhi's visit could have resulted in a law and order problem. Himanta Biswa Sarma had put a black spot on the history of Batadrava and the legacy of Sri Sankardeva,” he said.

The Congress MP added, “On behalf of Rahul, we offered prayers of peace and harmony, and all the 'pujaris' who were present on the premises extended their blessings to him. The area was completely peaceful, but the administration disseminated false information about the crowd and the state of law and order.”

MORE India ARTICLES

Foreign-based gangster's operative arrested in Punjab

Foreign-based gangster's operative arrested in Punjab
The accused had also put kerosene on the bodies and faces of both deceased women before setting them ablaze. Police teams have also recovered two pistols along with two magazines and 10 cartridges from their possession.

Foreign-based gangster's operative arrested in Punjab

Wanted criminal with Rs 1L bounty arrested in Gurugram

Wanted criminal with Rs 1L bounty arrested in Gurugram
An inter-state criminal carrying a reward of Rs one lakh was arrested in Haryana's Gurugram, police said on Thursday. According to the police, a crime branch team of the Gurugram Police had nabbed seven people in May 2023 from village Mahendrawada in the Bhondsi area while planning to commit robbery in the city.

Wanted criminal with Rs 1L bounty arrested in Gurugram

Govt approves 97 Tejas fighter jets, 156 helicopters for IAF

Govt approves 97 Tejas fighter jets, 156 helicopters for IAF
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday approved the purchase of 97 Tejas fighter jets and 156 Prachanda Helicopters for the Indian Air Force as part of a Rs 1.4 lakh crore package that will go to public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), a senior official confirmed. The DAC headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also gave the go-ahead for the IAF’s plan to upgrade 84 Sukhoi 30 fighter jets.

Govt approves 97 Tejas fighter jets, 156 helicopters for IAF

PM Modi to take forward G20 steps on climate action at COP28 in Dubai

PM Modi to take forward G20 steps on climate action at COP28 in Dubai
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he was looking forward to the COP28 summit in Dubai, to move ahead with the concrete steps on climate action that formed part of the New Delhi declaration of the G20.  PM Modi said that COP28 will also provide an opportunity to review progress made under the Paris Agreement, and chart the future course on climate action.

PM Modi to take forward G20 steps on climate action at COP28 in Dubai

Congress leads BJP in Chhattisgarh: Exit Poll

Congress leads BJP in Chhattisgarh: Exit Poll
An exclusive Exit Poll conducted by CVoter for ABP News has revealed that the Congress is tantalisingly close to retaining Chhattisgarh in the latest round of Assembly elections. This is in contrast to the previous elections in 2018, when the Congress had ended the 15-year reign of the BJP by sweeping the state, winning 68 out of 90 seats.  

Congress leads BJP in Chhattisgarh: Exit Poll

Delhi: Air quality still in severe levels at many monitoring stations

Delhi: Air quality still in severe levels at many monitoring stations
The air quality in the national capital remained in "poor" category on Thursday, according to the data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). However, Bawana station recorded PM 2.5 at 449 and PM 10 at 418, in the severe category while the CO reached 60, or "satisfactory".

Delhi: Air quality still in severe levels at many monitoring stations