”After being reportedly barred from entering the Sri Sri Sankar Dev Satra temple in Assam’s Nagaon, Rahul Gandhi voiced his discontent, questioning whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would now dictate who is allowed to visit temples and when. Congress workers staged a sit-in at Haiboragaon in protest of the alleged denial of entry to Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders. Gandhi, who was scheduled to pay respects to the local deity as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, criticized the authorities for obstructing his temple visit, emphasizing that the intention was merely to offer prayers without causing any disturbances.
Expressing his frustration, Gandhi remarked, “Will PM Modi now decide who will visit a temple and when?” The local authorities permitted only local MPs and MLAs to travel beyond Haiboragaon, approximately 20 km from the temple location. According to reports, the management of Batadrava Than suggested Gandhi visit the shrine after 3 pm, following the conclusion of the Ayodhya Ram Temple’s ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.
Lalji Desai, the Congress Sewa Dal chief, condemned the incident as “shameful” and expressed his dismay over the idea that the prime minister could dictate prayer schedules across the country. Desai criticized the perceived interference, stating, “Till the time the prime minister does pooja (in Ayodhya), no one is allowed to pray anywhere.” He raised concerns about the erosion of democracy and accused the government of deciding when people could pray at temples.
The Assam leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to continue until January 25, covering 833 km across 17 districts. The Yatra, led by Rahul Gandhi, commenced on January 14 from Manipur and is scheduled to conclude on March 20 in Mumbai. The planned route spans 6,713 km, passing through 110 districts across 15 states.”
