WB: Congress Clarifies Reports of Rahul Gandhi's Convoy Attack Amidst Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra

Kolkata: Trouble erupted in the Maldaha district of West Bengal as Rahul Gandhi's convoy faced stone-pelting, resulting in the vandalism of the rear window pane of the vehicle. The incident allegedly took place as Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra (BJNY) entered Maldaha district, marking the second leg of its journey, which commenced today and is set to cover Malda, Murshidabad, and parts of Birbhum before moving on to Jharkhand.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress PCC president, confirmed the incident, stating that the rear window pane of the vehicle was broken, and the party is well aware of who was behind the attack.

However, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate clarified on Wednesday, “False news needs clarification. A huge crowd had come to meet Rahul Ji when a woman suddenly came forward to meet him; the car had to be stopped suddenly. The windshield of the car was broken due to the rope used in the security circle,” Shrinate wrote on ‘X’.

She further said that the Gandhi scion was fighting the battle for justice and that the country would keep him safe.

Covering 530 km across six West Bengal districts so far, the yatra has traversed Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Uttar Dinajpur, with Malda and Murshidabad set for the second phase.

The 'Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra,' which commenced in Manipur on January 14, is scheduled to cover 6,713 km in 67 days, passing through 110 districts in 15 states before culminating in Mumbai on March 20.

Since entering Coochbihar from Assam, the yatra has encountered numerous obstacles, including cancelled rally permissions in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, denial of permission for Rahul Gandhi to stay at the State guest house in Coochbihar, and the recent cancellation of his stay at an irrigation bungalow in Maldaha by the administration. Physical attacks, such as torn flexes and cutouts installed by Congress workers along the route, have further added to the challenges faced by the yatra.

The strained relations between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have intensified due to recent events in the state, although Mamata Banerjee, on paper, remains a member of the India bloc.

Today, Maldaha witnessed extreme crowd situations as people surged towards the yatra to catch a glimpse of the Congress scion. Inadequate police arrangements at scheduled stoppage areas resulted in unruly crowds, adding to the challenges faced by the yatra.

Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh emphasised, “Rahul Gandhi’s yatra is going through all these states like Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, West Bengal where Congress is not in government. Somewhere, Rahul’s poster was torn, somewhere he was stopped, somewhere his car glass broke. One thing is clear: whatever may happen, the yatra will not stop. It will continue.” 

Around 8 am today, the former Congress president's cavalcade reached Labha Bridge, receiving a warm welcome from the local people in Harishchandrapur Maharapara. The yatra continued its journey through Teljanna, Khidirpore, Fatepur area, Ratua road, Pukuria more, Shobhanagar, Miliki Amriti, and entered Malda town through Rathbari flyover. The day's program is scheduled to end in the evening at Sujapur Hatiari playground, where Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M) leaders and activists also joined the BJNY in large numbers.