No government pressure to cancel Rahul Gandhi event, says Guwahati Press Club general secretary

Amid the controversy after Congress party alleged that the Assam government exerted pressure to cancel the event of Rahul Gandhi at the Guwahati Press Club (GPC), a clarification has come from the General Secretary of the press club that there been no such pressure from the government.

Taking to Facebook, GPC general secretary Sanjoy Ray has said that there has been no pressure from the government to cancel Rahul Gandhi's proposed event at the press club. 

"There are reports that the government exerted pressure on GPC to cancel it. I don’t think such allegations are based on facts. I haven’t received any calls from anyone from the government in this regard. As of now, no event involving RG is scheduled at Gauhati Press Club," said Ray, in the Facebook post. 

Ray said that the move to invite Rahul Gandhi as a guest at the event titled 'Guest of the Month' was initiated by GPC president Sushmita Goswami who said that she had spoken to the Congress party at a dinner event and proposed that RG  be the ‘Guest of the Month.’ However, Ray mentioned that there was no prior discussion regarding extending the invite though.

The GPC general secretary went on to state that it was insisted that if Gandhi indeed comes, he cannot come as a part of a political rally or procession. 

"I stated that RG must follow our format like any other Guest of the Month, and he can't simply enter the GPC premises as part of the Yatra, which is, of course, politically driven," said Ray. 

 

 

Meanwhile, Assam cabinet minister Pijush Hazarika shared Sanjoy Ray's post and reiterated that Congress has been lying and that there has been no pressure from the government to cancel Rahul Gandhi's press club event. 

"I have been consistently maintaining @INCAssam was lying & claiming Assam Govt “canceled” Guwahati Press Club invite for Rahul Gandhi. In reality there was no invite, it was a conspiracy to misuse the premise. I am NOT saying it - Club members are," said Hazarika. 

 

I have been consistently maintaining @INCAssam was lying & claiming Assam Govt “canceled” Guwahati Press Club invite for Rahul Gandhi.

In reality there was no invite,it was a conspiracy to misuse the premise. I am NOT saying it - Club members are👇@Jairam_Ramesh @BhupenKBorah pic.twitter.com/rRfpZI9GfL

— Pijush Hazarika (@Pijush_hazarika) January 22, 2024

 

Earlier on January 20, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had stated that the event to interact with media on January 23, when the Yatra is scheduled to pass through Guwahati, has been cancelled. 

"The Assam CM continues to deny permission to the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to enter Guwahati on January 23rd. He is also refusing permission to @RahulGandhi to interact with the media at the Guwahati Press Club at the Club's invitation. Clearly the Assam CM is very nervous and shaken by the tremendous response to the Yatra in Assam so far," Ramesh had said in the X post on January 20.

Back then also Pijush Hazarika had made a quick reaction to Jairam Ramesh's allegations, and had said that the government has nothing to do with the activities of the Press Club that the Congress leader has been spreading lies. 

Noteworthy is that authorities had denied permission to the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to pass through Guwahati as per its original schedule. Congress leader Debabarata Saikia had informed media on January 20 that he had called up DCP Intelligence and was told that permission has been denied and that the Yatra would have to take a route through the National Highway instead. Saikia had said that the Yatra would not be allowed in the city and it must go through National Highway via Khanapara, Basistha, Lokhra, Garchuk etc. Saikia had also said that the press club invitation is also not being allowed.

The Guwahati leg of the Yatra was touted to be an important part of Rahul Gandhu's tenure in the Northeast as he was to hold interactions with the media and the youths. The Yatra was scheduled to reach Guwahati on January 23 as per the official schedule. 

However, now that permission has been denied, it is unclear whether the Yatra would pass through Guwahati as was originally intended to. 

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had also stated that legal action would be followed up with if the restrictions are violated and the Yatra is taken through Guwahati. 

Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi faced barriers preventing him from entering the revered Batadrava Than in Assam, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardeva. Rahul Gandhi alleged that he was initially not allowed to visit Batadrava Than and was only permitted entry after 3 PM on the same day. The Satra authorities had reportedly requested him to visit the premises after 3 PM, but Gandhi arrived at the venue earlier, leading to the confrontation.

The 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' is a 66-day journey that will cover 110 districts across 15 states, including the tribal-dominated regions of Jharkhand, South Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Odisha.