New Delhi, December 4: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after being stopped by the police at the Ghazipur border in Ghaziabad while en route to violence-affected Sambhal.
Gandhi, a Congress MP, argued that his visit to Sambhal was a constitutional right and responsibility, calling the restrictions placed on him unconstitutional. In a post on X, he wrote in Hindi: “The police stopped us from going to Sambhal. As the Leader of the Opposition, it is my right and duty to visit. Yet, I was stopped. I was even willing to go alone, but that too was not allowed. This is against the Constitution. Why is the BJP afraid? Why is it using the police to hide its failures? Why is it suppressing the message of truth and unity?”
The Congress leader also shared a video showing his exchange with a police officer during the incident.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, along with Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi and other Congress leaders, was stopped by police at the Ghazipur border while attempting to proceed to Sambhal. The group eventually returned to Delhi.
“We are trying to go to Sambhal, but the police are refusing to let us pass. As Leader of the Opposition, it is my right to visit, yet I am being stopped. I’m ready to go alone or even with a police escort, but they have rejected that too. They claim we can return in a few days, but this is a violation of the Leader of the Opposition's rights and the Constitution. We just want to visit Sambhal, meet the people, and understand what happened. Denying this right reflects the state of 'New India'—an India undermining the Constitution and Ambedkar's vision. We will continue to fight,” said Gandhi earlier.
Violence broke out in Sambhal on November 24 during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque. The clashes led to four deaths and multiple injuries to both police officers and locals. The ASI survey was prompted by a petition filed in a local court, which claimed the mosque was built on the site of a Harihar temple.
