On Wednesday, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a Congress MP, claimed that stones were thrown at the vehicle of Rahul Gandhi, a fellow Lok Sabha member and former party president, during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The West Bengal Congress president reported that someone from the crowd targeted Rahul’s vehicle, resulting in the rear windscreen being shattered when the yatra reached Malda, a Congress stronghold. Chowdhury informed reporters, stating, “Maybe someone from the crowd, at the back, pelted a stone at Rahul-ji’s vehicle. The police are looking into the matter. A lot can happen due to overlooking. This is a small incident but someone could have been injured.”
This incident is not the first time the Congress has raised concerns about untoward incidents during the yatra in West Bengal, where the TMC is in power. In a previous statement, Chowdhury noted challenges faced by the yatra in both BJP-ruled states and Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal. He stated, “Nyay yatra has been targeted since the beginning. In Manipur, Rahul Gandhi was not allowed to hold a public meeting where we wanted to. We had to conduct this meeting on private property outside Manipur. In Assam, many police personnel attacked the yatra on orders from the government. In West Bengal, we requested permission to hold a meeting in Siliguri but it was denied.”
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra commenced on January 14 in Imphal and is scheduled to conclude in Mumbai on March 20.