Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday (Jan 24) declared that he would ensure that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gets arrested after the Lok Sabha election, scheduled later this year. 

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Sarma's statement comes at a time when the Gandhi scion is leading the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra through the northeastern state.  

"We will arrest Rahul Gandhi after the Lok Sabha Election. We will file a civil complaint against Rahul Gandhi for instigating violence and disobedience in Guwahati today," said Sarma. 

He said if his government took the action now, it would be called a "political move". 

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"The whole intention of the Yatra was to disturb Assam and jeopardise the peace in Assam. We defeated this attention seeker of his motive and now let him do whatever he wants to do beyond Dhuburi," Sarma added. 

Tempers have been flaring between the two leaders ever since the Congress leader started his campaign from the neighbouring state of Manipur. On Tuesday, Gandhi's procession faced a roadblock while attempting to enter the capital city of Guwahati. 

Many Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal, were booked under charges of damage to public property, violence, provocation, and assault on police personnel by the Assam Police.

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Sarma argued that Gandhi wanted to enter the city with a huge cavalcade which could have caused a law and order problem. 

"He had come with 3000 people and 200 vehicles How can this be allowed inside the city? They came and fought with the police," said Sarma.

Watch | Congress party pinning hopes on Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0? | 2024 General Elections

The war of words

On Wednesday (Jan 24), prior to resuming his campaign, Gandhi addressed a gathering and launched another verbal attack on Sarma, calling him the "most corrupt CM". 

"The Chief Minister of Assam spreads hate all the time and takes away your (referring to the public) lands. He is the most corrupt chief minister," Gandhi said.

Also read | India: Rahul Gandhi resumes Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam, again calls Himanta Sarma ‘corrupt CM’

The general elections are scheduled later this year and Congress has been looking to make up for the lost ground. 

Gandhi led the first iteration of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' last year which led to a lot of chatter but ultimately did not translate into votes. The party lost elections to four assembly states, further denting its hopes of making inroads into BJP's vote share on the national level. 

(With inputs from agencies)