Guwahati: The ruling BJP on Saturday took out a protest rally in Guwahati against alleged misbehaviour by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The protest march came a day after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma maintained that political parties cannot take the route of 'andolan' (agitation) to press for their demands. BJP state president Bhabesh Kalita led the rally with several top leaders, including Guwahati Lok Sabha MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi, participating in it.
Nagaland's BJP MP S Phangnon Konyak had on Thursday alleged in the Upper House of Parliament that Gandhi came in "close proximity" and shouted at her during a protest outside Parliament's Makar Dwar which made her feel "extremely uncomfortable".
"This is harassment of a woman and such behaviour has to stop. Rahul Gandhi has to apologise in the Parliament. He should immediately be arrested," Kalita said.
Former Lok Sabha MP Pallab Lochan Das, hitting out at the Congress leader, said, "Konyak is like a sister to us, a Naga woman who is capable of providing leadership to the region. We stand with her in this hour."
"Such behaviour against a woman cannot be tolerated. Gandhi has to apologise for it," Medhi, the Guwahati MP, asserted. Attended by several hundreds of party members, the protesters displayed placards and raised slogans against the Congress and Gandhi.
With the Congress carrying out various agitations in the state, including one in Guwahati on Wednesday during which a party leader had died, the CM had hit out at the opposition party for resorting to protests. Sarma had maintained on Friday that a political party cannot be one to take the path of agitations.
"For political parties, the 'andolan' has to happen in the ballot box," he added.
The BJP cited Konyak's allegation and injuries to its two other MPs as it alleged that Gandhi pushed and shoved its members and indulged in "indecent" conduct during the incident, even as the Congress rejected the charges and Gandhi said that it was the ruling party MPs who "stopped, threatened and intimidated" him.
