'Stones Won't Stop Us,' Says Rahul Gandhi After Car Attack In Gujarat

Banaskanta: Rahul Gandhi's convoy was attacked with stones today in Gujarat's Banaskantha, where he was touring flood-hit areas. The Congress blamed the incident on the state's ruling BJP.

"Narendra Modi ji, slogans, black flags and stones will not deter us...We will put in all our might into the service of people," the Congress vice president tweeted, targeting the Prime Minister in his home state.

The 47-year-old had reportedly been asked to travel in his bulletproof vehicle but he chose to sit in the first car of his convoy, which was attacked with cement bricks.

"This is a dastardly attack. Do they think they can silence the opposition, they can cow down anybody with violence?" said Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"The car was damaged, a window was shattered, an SPG (Special Protection Group) personnel was hurt," Mr Singhvi added.

Senior BJP leader Kailash Vijaywargiya commented: "We don't know if the attack was real or orchestrated."

The Press Trust of India quoted a police officer as saying that the man who threw stones has been detained.

Banaskantha, one of the areas in Gujarat worst-affected by the flood, is represented by six Congress lawmakers but none of them have visited their constituencies. They are at a resort in Bengaluru - an attempt by the Congress to protect them from being poached before the Rajya Sabha polls on Tuesday.

The Congress flew 43 Gujarat lawmakers to Bengaluru last Friday to prevent more defections after six of its legislators quit.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's advisor, faces a tough contest on one of the three Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat, as he seeks re-election into the Upper House.

He tweeted today: "Attack on an SPG protectee is yet another manifestation of BJP's frustration and government's absolute failure to protect law and order in Gujarat."