On Rahul Gandhi's Manipur Visit, Support From Rival AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday slammed the Union government over halting Rahul Gandhi's convoy by police in Manipur, calling the act "wrong" and an indication of "total failure" of law and order in the northeastern state.

Mr Gandhi was stopped on Thursday when he was on his way to Churachandpur to visit relief camps. Police termed the stopping a precautionary measure to prevent the eruption of violence.

Rahul Gandhi later travelled to a relief camp in a helicopter and interacted with people.

"It was wrong to stop Rahul Gandhi in such a manner," AAP national spokesperson and Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj told PTI.

He said the opposition party leaders shall visit wherever there is strife.

"You can suspend internet connectivity and prevent TV (news) channels from visiting, but you cannot silence people with the might of lathis where there is anger against the ruling party," he said.

Concurring with him, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar told PTI, "If a common man cannot visit a place in any part of the country, it's a total failure of law and order." 

"Be it Manipur or Delhi, the BJP is not able to maintain law and order," she charged.

Asked about the party's strategy for opposing in Parliament the Centre's Ordinance on control of administrative services in Delhi, Bharadwaj said AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh - who is the party's Leader in the Upper House - will take care of the floor management in Parliament in coordination with other parties.

The AAP leader described the Centre's Ordinance as anti-democratic, anti-constitution, and a direct insult to the Supreme Court. "Our objective is to stop this black Ordinance from getting passed (in Parliament)." 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)