The Lok Sabha witnessed chaos for a brief period on Wednesday after Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped at the Ghazipur border by the police and prevented from visiting violence-affected Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress MP Mohammad Jawed, while discussing the deteriorating water conditions in his constituency Kishanganj, concluded his address by citing the police obstruction faced by Gandhi, but was immediately interrupted by the Chair.
“It is unfortunate that the Leader of Opposition was prevented from visiting Sambhal. This is intolerable. He intended to conduct a peaceful review of the situation, and it is inappropriate to obstruct the Leader of Opposition,” Jawed stated, as other Opposition MPs echoed his sentiments loudly.
In response, Jagdmbika Pal, who was in the Chair, prohibited Jawed from commenting on the activities of the Leader of Opposition outside the Parliament. “The House will not take note of what the Leader of Opposition is doing outside Parliament. He should be present in the House,” Pal asserted, while the Opposition continued to voice their objections.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi, his sister and Wayanad Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other senior party leaders were stopped by authorities at the Ghazipur border while trying to visit Sambhal amid communal tensions. At the border, Gandhi said he was told to return in a few days.
“We are attempting to go to Sambhal, but the police are refusing to let us pass. As the Leader of Opposition, it is my right to visit, yet they are stopping me. I was willing to go alone along with the police, but they rejected that as well. They informed us that if we returned in a few days, they would allow us to proceed. This is a violation of the rights of the Leader of Opposition and the Constitution. We want to go to Sambhal to understand what happened there and meet the people. My constitutional right is being denied. This is the new India — an India that undermines the Constitution. This is an India that seeks to dismantle Ambedkar’s Constitution. We will continue to fight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak accused Congress leaders of politicising the violence in Sambhal and urged politicians to refrain from disrupting the law and order of the state.
“Congress leaders are attempting to politicise the Sambhal incident. Please do not undermine the law and order of Uttar Pradesh. Your visit is damaging the atmosphere there. The area needs development and law and order. They will not be able to divide Uttar Pradesh. Whenever there is significant unrest, the police impose Section 144, which prohibits gatherings until peace is restored. As long as it is in effect, the Congress should not engage in such activities there,” Pathak stated.