Congress Refutes Reports of Stone Pelting at Rahul Gandhi’s Car

Confusion arose on Wednesday after the rear windscreen of Rahul Gandhi’s car cracked during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Malda district, West Bengal. While Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury initially suspected stone pelting, the party later attributed the damage to a security rope used for crowd control.

Supriya Shrinate, another Congress leader, tweeted that the incident occurred due to a sudden stop caused by an enthusiastic crowd member approaching Gandhi’s vehicle. The car’s brakes were applied abruptly, causing the security rope to snap and hit the windscreen. Gandhi, unharmed, continued his yatra undeterred.

ग़लत खबर का स्पष्टीकरण ज़रूरी है

राहुल जी से मिलने अपार जनसमूह आया हुआ था, एक महिला उनसे मिलने के लिये जब एकदम से आगे आ गयीं, तब कार को अचानक रोकना पड़ा

सुरक्षा घेरे में इस्तेमाल किए जाने वाले रस्से से कार की विंडशील्ड टूट गई

राहुल जी न्याय की लड़ाई मुस्तैदी से लड़ रहे हैं…

— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) January 31, 2024

Despite the official explanation, Chowdhury expressed concerns about potential security lapses, stating, “Maybe someone at the back pelted a stone… The police force is overlooking that.”

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh downplayed the incident, emphasizing that “our yatra won’t be deterred” and highlighting the party’s INDIA bloc agenda. He also pointed out that strengthening the bloc aligns with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s goals.

Interestingly, Banerjee was scheduled to begin her own “Jonosanjog Yatra” in Malda on the same day, leading to heightened security measures. Gandhi’s yatra re-entered Bengal after its first phase concluded on Monday and will proceed to Murshidabad before exiting the state on February 2nd.