Rahul to visit Assamese icon Sankardeva’s birthplace on Jan 22 as scheduled: Congress

Biswanath: As Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma maintained that Rahul Gandhi should avoid visiting Batadrawa Than, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardeva, during the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Congress asserted on Sunday that Gandhi's visit will proceed as scheduled.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh maintained that Gandhi will visit the Than in Assam's Nagaon district as planned and urged that "no politics should be done over it".

Gandhi is leading a 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Manipur to Mumbai, with the march travelling through Assam from January 18 to 25.

It will be reaching Nagaon on Sunday, where it will stop for the night before proceeding onwards the next morning.

"The route of the Yatra was fixed 3-4 weeks before and as per the schedule, we will be in Nagaon on January 22," Ramesh, who is accompanying Gandhi, said at the press conference here en route to the central Assam district.

"We think it is imperative that we visit Batadrawa Than as we are passing through Nagaon. It is the birthplace of the great social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, whose life continues to inspire crores of people even now," he said.

"There should not have been any dispute over it. No politics should be done over it," the Congress leader asserted.

He said Gandhi will visit the Than on Monday morning and then commence the day's Yatra, during which he will travel through Morigaon district before entering neighbouring Meghalaya.

The Yatra will return to Assam after a short trip in the neighbouring state.

Sarma, addressing a press conference earlier on Sunday, said that Gandhi should avoid visiting Batadrawa on January 22, as there can be no competition between Lord Ram and the medieval-age Vaishnav saint revered as an icon in the state.

He also said that commandos will be deployed along sensitive routes of minority-dominated areas to be taken by the Yatra on Monday.

"We will request Rahul Gandhi not to visit Batadrava on Monday during the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple as it will reflect Assam in the wrong light," he said.

Gandhi can go to the 'satra' (Vaishnavite monastery) after the consecration ceremony without creating "unnecessary competition which will be sad for Assam", Sarma added.

Ramesh, at a press meet on Saturday, had said that Gandhi will be at the birthplace of the Vaishnavite saint-scholar on January 22.

"Everyone has been asking where will Rahul ji and the Yatra be on January 22. I want to tell everyone that on the morning of January 22, Rahul ji will be in Batadrawa Than, the birthplace of Sri Sri Sankardeva," he had said.