The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of using his visit to Sambhal as a political drama aimed at appealing to the party’s Muslim vote bank. Gandhi, who attempted to visit the violence-hit city, was stopped by Uttar Pradesh police at the Delhi-UP border.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya criticized Gandhi and Congress for allegedly trying to incite communal tensions. “Both Akhilesh and Rahul are trying to do politics to get Muslim votes. They are enacting a drama. The decline of SP and Congress is certain. SP will become ‘Samaptawadi Party,’ and there will be Congress-mukt Bharat,” Maurya stated.
He attributed the Sambhal violence, which resulted in four deaths on November 24, to the rivalry between a Samajwadi Party MLA and MP, alleging that the Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) were attempting to disrupt communal harmony in the state.
BJP Spokesperson Raises Concerns Over Gandhi’s Actions
BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi criticized Rahul Gandhi for not informing authorities in advance about his visit, despite being the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and holding Z-plus ASL security.
“If you honestly wanted to go there and had some sympathy, you would have given an intimation (to the authorities) in advance. You just did a formality and then returned,” Trivedi remarked, adding that the visit appeared to be aimed at gaining media attention and securing a “better photo-op” than Congress ally Samajwadi Party leaders.
Trivedi further alleged that the visit was part of a broader competition within the INDI Alliance to secure their core vote base. “Nowhere any sympathy for people is visible in it,” he stated.
After his convoy was turned back at the Ghazipur border, Rahul Gandhi asserted that his rights as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha had been violated.
Background of Sambhal Violence
The violence in Sambhal reportedly erupted during a survey ordered by a local court to determine the presence of remnants of a Hindu temple inside a Mughal-era mosque.
The BJP accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party of exploiting the incident for political gains, with Maurya stating, “Congress and SP wanted to vitiate the communal atmosphere of the state.”