Don’t protest, help the flood affected: Rahul

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged Congress workers and supporters to stop protesting against the attack on him in Gujarat on Friday. Instead, they should use their energy in helping the flood-affected in Gujarat, read a statement released by his office. His carcade was attacked yesterday at Dhanera.

Gujarat Police claimed to have arrested a BJP youth leader suspected to be involved in the attack. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, after initially belittling the incident, tweeted that he had ordered an investigation into the incident and any possible security lapse.

There had been widespread protests all over the country against the attack on Rahul Gandhi. Addressing a gathering of protestors outside Gujarat Bhawan in New Delhi, President of Delhi Congress, Ajay Maken wondered if the present Government was a government of stone-pelters.

“Congress gave freedom of expression and speech and never resorted to such violent behaviour,” Maken added even as several Congress workers discussed how the then prime ministerial candidate of the BJP Narendra Modi had got away by using intemperate and even abusive language directed at Congress leaders.

“If BJP workers did it then the question is why they had to do it if BJP has such a stranglehold over Gujarat and has been ruling the state for a decade and a half ? Secondly, if we believe that Congress stage managed this then the question is how the party was able to do it…in any case this is not a good trend for democracy,” said Ajay Rana, a creative writer.

Pratik Sinha of altnews.com said on facebook that BJP had unnecessarily allowed Congress, on the back foot after flying out its MLAs to Bengaluru, to play the sympathy card. Some social media comments also blamed the Congress for over-reacting. What’s the point of blaming the BJP to move heaven and earth for one Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat, asked several users, adding, ‘Isn’t Congress also equally guilty of flying out its MLAs when they could have helped in the relief effort?’

However, Congress leader Depender Hooda said, “The violent behaviour of BJP in Gujarat is indication that the party is laying the foundation of fascism in the country’.

Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad condemned the cult of violence and said, “BJP was speaking of an opposition-mukt Bharat. But now that the tide has started turning against them, they are resorting to violence.”

The Personal Security Officer of Rahul Gandhi, a BSF veteran, was injured in the attack.