‘Ensure safety of Rahul Gandhi’: Congress writes to Home Ministry, cites security breach during Bharat Jodo Yatra

NEW DELHI: Congress central leadership on Wednesday wrote a letter to the Union Home Ministry demanding more protection for party leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra these days. Citing alleged security breach in Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress party urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah "to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of Rahul Gandhi and of all the Bharat Yatris and leaders joining Bharat Jodo Yatra."

Congress writes to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requests him "to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of Rahul Gandhi and of all the Bharat Yatris and leaders joining Bharat Jodo Yatra" pic.twitter.com/tCsbyh9D6J

— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2022

In his letter to Amit Shah, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, "the security of the Bharat Jodo Yatra was compromised'' on multiple occasions following its entry into Delhi on Saturday.

Venugopal alleged that Delhi Police, which comes under the Union Home Ministry, has "seriously failed in controlling the surging crowd and maintaining a perimeter around Rahul Gandhi, who is assigned Z+ Security. 

After Jairam Ramesh, Venugopal also alleged in his letter that the Intelligence Bureau have been questioning those who took part in the Yatra. He also cited a police complaint that the party filed in Haryana's Gurgaon, "regarding unknown miscreants, belonging to Haryana State Intelligence, illegally entering Bharat Jodo Yatra's containers".

It may also be recalled that the Centre had recently advised Rahul Gandhi to either postpone the Bharat Jodo Yatra or ensure that Covid protocols are strictly followed in the wake of the Covid surge in China. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya wrote to Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot asking them to ensure that proper Covid guidelines are being followed in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Delhi on Saturday to a rousing welcome by his party supporters. The yatra entered the national capital from the Faribadab side in Haryana. Delhi Congress Chief Anil Chaudhary and party workers met Rahul Gandhi, other party leaders, and the padyatris at the Badarpur Border, and progressed towards central Delhi. 
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kumari Selja, and Randeep Surjewala were also part of the padayatra. 

On entering Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said that the yatra’s real purpose is to showcase “real Hindustan” where people help each other. Addressing a rally at the Delhi border on Saturday morning, Gandhi said, “There is no nafrat in this yatra. If somebody falls, everybody helps them. This is the real Hindustan. Not the BJP’s and RSS’s hatred-filled Hindustan. We want to show them the real Hindustan. The RSS showed its way of hatred and violence, now we want to show the country another way.”  

He also thanked the “lakhs of people” who provided love and support to the rally. Gandhi said that “every Indian, of any caste or gender, should open a mohabbat ki dukaan' in their nafrat ki bazaar.” The former Congress chief said that “BJP’s policies are meant to spread fear and convert it into hatred.”