On 31 January 2024, Congress Member of Parliament Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury reported that the windshield of Rahul Gandhi’s car was shattered near the Bihar-Bengal border, indicating a suspected incident of stone pelting. According to Chowdhury, unidentified individuals threw stones at Gandhi’s vehicle during the alleged attack, which occurred in Malda’s Harischandrapur area as the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra re-entered West Bengal from Bihar.
Rahul Gandhi had reached Katihar as part of the yatra and conducted a road show in the Bihar district before departing for West Bengal through Malda.
Speaking to reporters about the incident, Congress MP and West Bengal Unit President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Maybe someone at the back pelted a stone amid the crowd…Police force is overlooking that. A lot can happen due to overlooking. This is a small incident but something could have happened too…”
#WATCH | On damages to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's car during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Malda (West Bengal), Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, "Maybe someone at the back pelted a stone amid the crowd…Police force is overlooking that. A lot can happen due to… pic.twitter.com/xHxw2Boi9c
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2024
Subsequently, the Congress officially clarified on its X handle that, “A huge crowd had come to meet Rahul in Malda, West Bengal. In this crowd, a woman suddenly came in front of Rahul’s car to meet him, due to which the brakes were suddenly applied. Then the glass of the car broke due to the rope used in the security circle. People’s leader Rahul Gandhi is fighting for justice against the injustice that is done to the people. The public is with them, the public is keeping him safe”.
गलत खबर को लेकर स्पष्टीकरण
पश्चिम बंगाल के मालदा में राहुल जी से मिलने अपार जनसमूह आया था। इस भीड़ में एक महिला राहुल जी से मिलने अचानक उनकी कार के आगे आ गई, इस वजह से अचानक ब्रेक लगाई गई।
तभी सुरक्षा घेरे में इस्तेमाल किए जाने वाले रस्से से कार का शीशा टूट गया।
जननायक…
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 31, 2024
Critics argue that this situation could have arisen because of the apparent intent to accuse the Trinamool Congress (TMC) amidst the ongoing tensions between the Congress and TMC in West Bengal regarding seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee declared that her party would contest the elections independently, revealing that an offer for collaboration had been declined by the Congress.
Addressing a public distribution event, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asserted that the attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s vehicle did not occur in West Bengal but rather in Bihar. She provided clarification, stating that the assault took place in Katihar, Bihar, and by the time the vehicle had entered West Bengal, the rear window pane was already broken. Banerjee also speculated that the incident could be an expression of public discontent in Bihar due to recent political decisions made by Nitish Kumar. And finally called it as a political drama
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.