Rahul Gandhi defies security concerns in Amethi as BJP protests continue

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, January 16

During the second day of this visit to Amethi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi gave his Special Protection Group security personnel a few tense moments when he refused to follow the change of route and walked down the streets in Gauriganj on Tuesday.

The local BJP workers shouted slogans at Gauriganj where he was proposed to take out a padyatra.

Even Amethi BJP district president Uma Shankar Pandey was among the protesters shouting slogans.

A clash between the Congress and the BJP workers followed. The police tried to broker peace and disperse the crowds.

After the police failed to pacify the angry crowds from both sides it resorted to a lathi-charge on the large number of Congress workers who had collected to extend their support to the Congress president.

The police chased the Congress workers and the district administration then changed the route of Gandhi’s proposed Gauriganj padyatra.

However, Congress president defied the orders and continued to walk down the earlier route along with a large number of his supporters and reached Gauriganj on foot.

After the protests at Salon in Rae Bareli on Monday the BJP continued to display banners and placards and shout slogans at several places on his route on Tuesday as well.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi interacted with a large number of party workers at the Munshiganj guest house.

This was the first visit of Gandhi to his constituency after he became the Congress president.