HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 21: Citing that there is no competition between Lord Ram and the Batadrava Satra, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi not to visit the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva at Batadrava on January 22.
Congress, meanwhile, asserted on Sunday that Gandhi’s visit will proceed as scheduled.
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All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh maintained that Gandhi will visit the Than in Nagaon district as planned and urged that “no politics should be done over it”.
Earlier, Sarma expressed concern about conflicting TV broadcasts, with one side featuring the Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony and the other showing Rahul Gandhi visiting Srimanta Sankardeva’s birthplace.
“This won’t be good for Assam. Two windows will be played together on TV showing both events, which I think will not be good for Assam. He can go to Batadrava after 2 pm or in the morning hours. I feel if he does not got to Batadrava during those 2-3 hours during the Pran Pratishtha event will be good,” Sarma said during a press conference here.
He further said that commandos will be deployed along sensitive routes of minority-dominated areas to be taken by Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on January 22, the day of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Batadrava, located in Nagaon district, holds historical significance as the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva (1449-1568), a prominent Assamese saint-scholar, reformer, poet, playwright, and a key figure in Assam’s cultural and religious history during the 15th-16th century.
Speaking further expressed discomfort after reading a national media report suggesting that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in the Ayodhya consecration ceremony, Rahul Gandhi would be present at the Batadrava satra.
Sarma informed that it is not that the Sattra authorities have invited him and as there are Hindus in the Congress too, the visit can be rescheduled to early morning or in the evening.
For Monday, the Congress has chosen a route through “sensitive areas” of Morigaon, Jagiroad and Nellie which could have been avoided, the chief minister said.
“These areas are sensitive and I cannot discount any law and order situation arising and as such commandos will be deployed along sensitive routes of minority-dominated areas to be taken by Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra on January 22,” he added.
The reality in these areas cannot be denied and the administrations will have to monitor the situation, he said.
“The apprehension is genuine and with great risk, I am allowing the Yatra tomorrow. If there is a law and order problem, nothing will happen to Gandhi as he will be surrounded by security personnel but my neck is at stake. The government of India will ask me why permission was granted for the Yatra on this sensitive route on Monday,” Sarma said.
Nellie had witnessed a carnage during the height of Assam agitation in 1983 when nearly 2000 people, mostly belonging to Muslims stated to be of Bangladeshi origin, were killed.
District Commissioners and superintendents of police of these areas have been directed to increase patrolling and maintain a strict vigil, Sarma added.
“Maybe nobody will come out as people of Assam have matured. But as a law enforcer, we cannot discount any possibility”, he said.
He said that he was planning to visit a temple tomorrow and watch the consecration ceremony in the Harijan colony ‘but now I have to monitor the situation’.
On denying permission to the Congress to take the Yatra through Guwahati city, the chief minister said they have been just asked to avoid the main thoroughfares.
“They had asked for permission at 9:30 am during school and college times. There are hospitals in the area and we cannot allow any traffic snarl during that period. If it were a Sunday, we could have allowed it,” he said.
The Congress hardly gets votes in Assam and “if they create problems for the people, they will get even less votes”, Sarma added.
Regarding Gandhi attacking him and his family on corruption, the chief minister said, “Earlier, I thought he was afraid of me but now it seems he is scared of my children too who are not even in politics”.
He claimed that the Yatra has so far hardly seen much crowd but in certain minority-dominated Lower Assam areas, Muslims of Bangladeshi origin join the march.
“Muslim women and girls are grateful to us as we have taken several steps for their welfare which include abolition of triple talaq, measures to end polygamy and child marriage, along with setting up schools and colleges for girls in minority-dominated areas,” Sarma said. (With inputs from PTI)
