Zeenews Bureau
Dehradun: In the latest incident of `shoegate`, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was at the receiving end of it on Monday during his election campaign in Dehradun.
The shoe was reportedly thrown at the stage where Gandhi was addressing an election meeting in Vikasnagar of Dehradun. However, it missed its target. The shoe thrower was shouting anti-corruption slogan, reports said.
The shoe fell 10 metres short of the Congress general secretary, Dehra Dun SSP GN Goswami said.
The youth who had thrown the shoe was immediately taken into police custody.
"Don`t hit him," Gandhi was heard telling security personnel and Congress supporters who caught the youth at his Vikasnagar rally.
Reacting to the incident, Gandhi said that throwing shoes has become a fashion and such attacks won’t deter him.
"It is someone`s wrong perception to think that Rahul Gandhi will run away if some shoes are thrown at him...If someone wants to vent his anger, he can throw two three shoes. But it does not make any difference to me," he said. Strongly condemning the incident, Congress smacks BJP hand behind the episode and demanded a thorough inquiry.
"I condemn it. It is unfortunate. For some time, BJP has been saying that people will come on streets and a civil war could take place. Such kind of irresponsible statements encourage such acts. I do not know exactly who is behind it but political parties and political leaders should be very careful before giving such statements," party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said those hurling shoes or showing black flags have same intention and motive.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, himself a victim of shoe-throwing incident, said he liked the response of Rahul to a similar attack on him.
"I like Rahul`s reaction to the shoe throwing? `phenko, phenko, ek aur phenko` (throw, throw one more)," Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
The incident took place close on the heels of black flags which were shown at the Congress general secretary rally in tribal-dominated Duddhi. Gandhi had to abruptly end his speech at the rally. This was the second shoe attack that took place in Dehradun within a week.
On Saturday, a shoe was hurled at Team Anna members at a public rally in Dehradun as they kickstarted their campaign for the five election-bound states.
Earlier in the day, the Congress general secretary has targeted the ruling BJP for “rampant corruption” on the state.
Mocking at the BJP slogan "Khanduri Hai Jaroori", Gandhi said Chief Minister BC Khanduri is indeed needed for the BJP to cover up the acts of "thieves".
"Khanduri is needed because the thieves need a cover-up. (Khanduri isliye zaroori hai kyonki choron ko chhupana hai)," he said at a rally at Srinagar.