Amethi administration asks Rahul Gandhi to re-schedule visit on safety grounds, Congress cries foul

Lucknow: The Amethi district authorities have asked Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to re-schedule his proposed visit to his Lok Sabha constituency on law-and-order grounds, drawing flak from the Opposition party. [caption id=“attachment_4049605” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] Gandhi is scheduled to visit Amethi from 4-6 October. “In order to maintain law-and-order, a majority of the district police force will be on duty. Hence, there will be great inconvenience in maintaining peace. Therefore, it is requested that the tour be re-scheduled on any date after 5 October,” a letter written by the Amethi administration to the district Congress chief said. The letter, signed by district magistrate Yogesh Kumar and superintendent of police Poonam, added, “Through a letter (dated 30 September), it was informed that a visit of MP Rahul Gandhi is proposed from 4 October to 6 October. However, on 5 October, Durga Puja/Dussehra and Muharram will culminate at several places.” Reacting sharply to the letter, senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Akhilesh Singh accused the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state of “using tactics” to stop Gandhi from visiting his Lok Sabha constituency. “The Uttar Pradesh government is worried and does not want Rahul to visit Amethi, fearing that he might raise issues directly related to the public. This scares the BJP,” he said. Singh said the Yogi government was perhaps worried that Gandhi’s schedule might “eclipse” the proposed visit by BJP chief Amit Shah and Union ministers Smriti Irani and Nitin Gadkari to Amethi on 10 October. Refuting the grounds on which the authorities have asked the Congress vice-president to re-schedule his visit, Singh told PTI that by 4 October, almost all the festivities would be over. “After all, Rahul is visiting his own parliamentary constituency,” he pointed out.