Ghazipur: Commuters raised slogans against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi at Ghazipur border on Wednesday amid traffic slowdown due to barricading related to his visit to violence-hit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh.
A scuffle also broke out between Congress workers and commuters on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway following a massive traffic congestion.
Rahul Gandhi and newly-elected MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, however, were not allowed to proceed to Sambhal and stopped at the Delhi-UP border.
Motorists who were stranded on the highway due to the Congress leaders raised slogans.
Visuals from the site showed Congress workers and commuters scuffling with each other in the middle of the traffic.
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A commuter stuck at Ghazipur border said, "I do not know anything why we are stopped? If he (Rahul Gandhi) is over there (other side of the road) then why is this road blocked? Why does the public have to suffer?
Rahul Gandhi erlier today said that he was ready to relinquish his convoy and go to violence-hit Sambhal alone with the police but the authorities had asked him to return after some days, adding that this is against the rights of the LoP and against the Constitution.
"We are trying to go to Sambhal, the police is refusing, they are not allowing us. As LoP, it is my right to go, but they are stopping me. I am ready to go alone, I am ready to go with the police, but they did not accept that too. They are saying that if we come back in a few days then they will let us go.
This is against the rights of the LoP and against the Constitution. We just want to go to Sambhal and see what happened there, we want to meet the people. My constitutional right is not being given to me. This is the new India, this is the India to end the Constitution. This is the India to end Ambedkar's Constitution. We will keep fighting," Rahul Gandhi said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "Whatever happened in Sambhal is wrong. Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the opposition, he has constitutional rights and he cannot be stopped like this. He has the constitutional right to be allowed to go and meet the victims. He also said that he would go alone with the UP police but they are not ready to do that either. The police have no answer. Maybe the situation in Uttar Pradesh is such that they cannot handle even this much. Why do they say so arrogantly that they have taken care of the law and order?" Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said.Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi returned to Delhi after being stopped at Ghazipur border from visiting Sambhal.
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Congress MP KC Venugopal said that they have been informed that they could visit Sambhal after four to five days. "Police informed us that they will allow us after four to five days. They have purposefully blocked the traffic. We do not want to create problems for the common people," Venugopal said.
"Our delegation headed to Sambhal led by LOP Rahul Gandhi ji and Priyanka Gandhi ji has been stopped at the UP border in Ghaziabad. What is the reason behind the UP Government stopping the Lok Sabha LOP from visiting the families of those who lost their lives in the violence? It is basic humanity to stand by someone who has suffered such grief and loss. Rahul ji's motto has been 'Nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukaan'. And when the ruling regime has created an atmosphere of hatred, it is our duty as the opposition to bring compassion, empathy and love," Venugopal posted on X.
"We are determined to meet the victims' families in the interest of peace and communal harmony in our country, the UP government must allow the delegation to visit Sambhal," he added.
The violence in Sambhal district erupted on November 24 during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque. The clashes resulted in four fatalities and multiple injuries among police personnel and locals.'
The ASI survey followed a petition filed in a local court, claiming that the mosque's site was originally a Harihar temple. (with Agency inputs)
