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Asserting that the Congress has lost its leaders and former prime ministers –Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi– for the country’s unity, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal in a letter to Shah said,”the government should not indulge in vindictive politics and ensure the safety and security of the Congress leaders”.
Citing instances of ”miscreants” entering the yatra camp site illegally, Venugopal alleged that they were Haryana’s intelligence security personnel, who interrogated people who took part in the yatra.
”The security of the yatra was compromised on multiple occasions following its entry into Delhi on Saturday. Delhi Police completely failed to control the surging crowds and maintain a perimeter around Rahul Gandhi, who has ”Z+ Security”, he alleged.
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”Bharat Jodo Yatra is a padyatra to bring peace and harmony to the country. The government should not indulge in vindictive politics and ensure the safety and security of the Congress leaders,” Venugopal said.
He sought improved security for the yatra as it is set to enter the sensitive states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The yatra will resume on January 3, 2023, after taking a nine-day break in Delhi.
”Moving forward, ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is slated to enter the sensitive state of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in the next phase starting from January 3, 2022. In this regard, I request you to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of Shri Rahul Gandhi, a Z+ protectee, and of all the ‘Bharat Yatris’ and leaders joining the yatra,” Venugopal said in his letter.
Venugopal has already held consultations with the Congress units in J&K and Punjab regarding the yatra preparations.
He also met with J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha earlier this week and has sought his cooperation in ensuring the security of the Congress leaders.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said apart from the letter to the Home minister, the Congress is also issuing a warning to the BJP and its supporters to refrain from defaming the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.
”Do not even attempt to stop ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ you will not succeed. Anybody who is trying to stop India from getting united is definitely against the concept of a united India and is responsible for attempting to break India. Their faces stand exposed,” he told reporters.
Khera said the yatra would soon be entering Punjab and J&K, which are sensitive states, and the party has drawn the attention of the Home Minister to the security breaches.
”So our concerns need to be addressed, especially, when we enter the sensitive states of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir,” he said.
He said party leader Vaibhav Walia had filed an FIR on December 23 in the Sohna City police station, because some IB officials tried to ”barge into our containers, completely illegally”.
”They had no business being there. When they were caught red-handed, they tried to escape. The police have not yet acted on the FIR done by Walia on 23rd December.
”When the Yatra entered Delhi, we saw shocking scenes at Badarpur. It was a total collapse of order. There was no rope team, which protects the leader and regulates the crowd. When the yatra approached the Lal Qila (Red Fort) area, again there was a collapse. We showed you the videos. In fact, Rahul Gandhi and other leaders were trying to regulate the crowd, there was no police presence, not enough in any case,” he noted.