Rahul Gandhi stopped at Ghazipur border on way to Sambhal

New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and newly-elected MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were not allowed to go to violence-hit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and stopped at the Delhi-UP border.

The leaders were stopped at the Ghazipur border by police who erected barricades to stop the Congress delegation from moving ahead with Rahul saying it is his right to visit the place but this is "the new India, which wants to scrap B R Ambedkar's Constitution". The leaders returned to the capital around 12:30 pm.

Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia had written to the Police Commissioners of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad and the Superintendents of Police of Amroha and Bulandshahr districts, urging them to stop Rahul at the borders of their districts.

Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on court orders following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site. Four people were killed in clashes with security personnel on November 24 during a second survey.

The administration has imposed Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has now been extended till December 31 in Sambhal. The UP administration has not allowed any political delegation to reach Sambhal so far.

Talking to reporters, Rahul said they were trying to go to Sambhal but the police were not allowing them.

"As LoP, it is my right to go but they are stopping me. I am ready to go alone, I am ready to go with the police, but they did not accept that either. They are saying that if we come back in a few days then they will let us go," he said.

"This is against the rights of the LoP and against the Constitution. We just want to go to Sambhal and see what happened there, we want to meet the people. My constitutional right is not being given to me. This is the new India, this is the India to end the Constitution. This is the India to end Ambedkar's Constitution. We will keep fighting," he said.

Priyanka said whatever happened in Sambhal was wrong.

"Rahul Gandhi is the LoP and he cannot be stopped like this. He has the Constitutional right to be allowed to go and meet the victims. He also said that he would go alone with the UP Police but they are not ready to do that either. The police have no answer. Maybe the situation in Uttar Pradesh is such that they cannot handle even this much. Why do they say so arrogantly that they have taken care of the law and order?" she said.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal asked why was the UP Government stopping the LoP from visiting the families.

He said it is basic humanity to stand by someone who has suffered such grief and loss and when the ruling regime has "created an atmosphere of hatred", it is their duty as the opposition to bring compassion, empathy and love.