"What About Sandeshkhali?" BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi, PGV In Sambhal Visit Row

Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's aborted attempt to visit Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal Wednesday - where violence last week over claims a 16th century mosque was built over a razed Hindu temple killed five people - has triggered (another) political row.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which controls the state government, hit out at the Gandhi siblings this afternoon after cops stopped them citing a 'sensitive law-and-order situation'. The ruling party's Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi branded the Congress leaders' visit a "photo op".

Mr Trivedi also wanted to know why Mr Gandhi did not visit Bengal's Sandeshkhali, at the centre of controversy in January after an Enforcement Directorate team - travelling to interrogate local Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan - was allegedly attacked by his supporters.

Subsequent inquiries threw up a flood of sexual assault complaints against the Trinamool leader, whose party is (at least on paper) part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc of non-BJP-aligned parties.

BJP Slams "Biased" Rahul Gandhi

Addressing a press conference this afternoon, Mr Trivedi declared that Rahul Gandhi, in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition, should not be "biased" in such circumstances.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also hit out, accusing Mr Gandhi, and the Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, also denied entry, of trying to "appease Muslim voters".

"Both Akhilesh and Rahul are trying to do politics of getting Muslim votes. They are doing drama. The decline of SP and Congress is certain," Mr Maurya crowed, "... there will be Congress-mukt Bharat."

BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh echoed the script, accusing Mr Gandhi of "creating drama". Mhow MLA Usha Thakur declared, "Brothers and sisters should recognise the character of these people... (they) have been conspiring against the country for 65 years."

Mr Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who marked her electoral debut with a stunning win in last month's Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, set out from Delhi this morning to visit Sambhal.

A stand-off was always on the cards, given local police and government officials have blocked the entry of 'outsiders' till December 10; a delegation of Samajwadi Party leaders had already been stopped in its tracks, inviting sharp comments Tuesday by SP leader Akhilesh Yadav.

READ | Stopped By Cops On Way To Sambhal, Rahul Gandhi Says "My Duty"

Mr Yadav accused the BJP of orchestrating a "well-planned conspiracy (against) communal harmony" in the area, and trying to subvert constitutional and legal processes.

And, as expected, the Gandhis' march to Sambhal was stopped at Ghazipur on the Delhi-UP border, leading to traffic snarls and tension as party workers and the cops faced off.

"Will Be Back", Rahul Gandhi Vows

Mr Gandhi demanded to be let through in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on his own and accompanied by police, if necessary, but the cops refused to relent.

Stymied, the Congress delegation was eventually forced to return to Delhi, but not before Mr Gandhi spoke to reporters, waving the red-bound copy of the Constitution that has become a trademark artifact in his ideological battle against the BJP.

"As the LoP (Leader of the Opposition), it is my job and responsibility to go (to Sambhal)...this is stopping me from my discharging my job and duty. I will continue to fight for that which Dr BR Ambedkar fought for..." he said, declaring that he would return to Sambhal.

Meanwhile, Ms Gandhi Vadra also posted on X, sharing a particularly powerful image of rows of cops standing against a flood of protesters, with only yellow metal police barricades separating the two sides. "The BJP is afraid of the voice of justice... of humanity and love... of brotherhood and unity. The BJP wants to barricade every message of love to save its market of hate," she said.

"But neither the message of love will stop, nor the voice of truth will be suppressed."

Akhilesh Yadav, RJD Back Congress

Mr Yadav, meanwhile, has spoken out in support of the Congress leaders' attempted Sambhal visit, claiming allowing them to go and visit the families of those who were killed could only improve the situation. "It is the administration that has spoiled the situation," he declared.

READ | "Those Who Want To Dig Everywhere...": Akhilesh Yadav's Sambhal Warning

The Congress' Sambhal plan was also backed by the Rashtriya Janata Dal, for whom MP Manoj Jha said, "Only those who are authoritarian and dictatorial will have a problem with this."

The Shahi Jama mosque in Sambhal is at the centre of a legal battle after Hindu petitioners alleged it was built over a Hindu temple. The court then issued an ex-parte order for a survey; two surveys were then carried out and the second on November 24, led to violence after locals voiced opposition.

With input from agencies

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.