Although the Congress vice president escaped unhurt, the SPG (special protection group) personnel accompanying him suffered injuries. Car window panes were broken. It was a dastardly attack for no reason other than the fact that Rahul Gandhi dared to visit a flood affected area of Banaskantha-district in the BJP-ruled Gujarat, said Abhishek Manusinghvi.
Abdul Bari Masoud | Caravan Daily
NEW DELHI — The Congress Party on Friday strongly condemned the attack on Vice president Rahul Gandhi by BJP workers in Gujarat saying it is yet another example of intolerance openly exhibited by the ruling party and its workers. The party said the attack must be condemned unequivocally across the board by every political party. It has to be condemned and seen for what it is — an authoritarian, dictatorial regime which brooks and cannot stand any dissent, any show of independence and a ruling party which believes only in Yes persons and puppets.
Briefing reporters here, Congress spokesperson Dr. Abhishek Singhvi said this is a dastardly and uncalled for attack on Rahul Gandhi in Guajrat who has gone there to examine the condition of the flood victims and to provide them succor and sympathy.
“I wanted to bring to your attention an appalling and reprehensible incident a short while ago. As you know Shri Rahul Gandhi, the Vice President of the Congress Party is visiting Banaskantha Gujarat – the flood affected area – in that district in a place called Dhanera. When he was passing through Lal Chowk, he was attacked with cement bricks by the goons of the BJP – with cement bricks, I repeat,” Dr Singhvi said.
Although the Congress vice president escaped unhurt, the SPG (special protection group) personnel accompanying him suffered injuries. Car window panes were broken. It was a dastardly attack for no reason other than the fact that Rahul Gandhi dared to visit a flood affected area of Banaskantha-district in the BJP-ruled Gujarat, he added.
“Are we reaching a stage in our democracy where political opponents are not going to be allowed to practice democratic politics in terms of visiting areas, voicing their opinion being in a free country without intimidation and throwing of bricks?” he asked.
In Banskantha itself, the flood toll stands over 70 in that district alone out of a total 200 deaths in Gujarat, he pointed out.
Attacking the BJP government in Gujarat, Dr Singhvi said Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have still not visited the flood-affected areas.
Due to devastating floods thousands have been uprooted in one Banskantha district alone and lakhs across Gujarat. Thousands of crores of property has been destroyed.
“And when a leader, from an opposition party, visits Banskantha, it is taken as an affront by the ruling party and their goons who do things to silence the voice of the opposition. Do they think that with this undemocratic act of violence they can intimidate anybody,” he asked.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also strongly condemned the attack on Gandhi. “The damage done to the motorcade and security personnel injured clearly shows that it was a well organized attack on Rahul Gandhi to harm him physically,” he said.
We strongly condemn the act and the cult of violence for which the BJP and its cadres are famous,” Azad said adding this is being deliberately done by the BJP to create an atmosphere of fear in the state of Gujarat just before the Assembly elections.
