After Congress’s protest, Rahul allowed to visit Amethi

Lucknow/New Delhi, Oct 2 (IANS) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday received the administration's permission to visit his parliamentary constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh on October 4, officials said.

The Congress leader, who was earlier denied permission to visit Amethi, would also be given protection by the district administration during his scheduled visit.

Amethi District Magistrate Yogesh Kumar said on Monday: "We urged Rahul Gandhi in a confidential letter to postpone his visit due to security reasons on account of Durga Puja, Muharram and Gandhi Jayanti, but the visit could not be postponed."

The District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police had urged the Amethi MP to postpone his visit.

The letter angered the Congress workers and party leaders alleged that the administration was trying to prevent Rahul Gandhi from visiting Amethi.

At a press conference in New Delhi later in the day, Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the district administration's suggestion to postpone visit was "mala fide and discriminatory".

"Will Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath or Prime Minister Narendra Modi now decide whether an MP can visit his constituency or not? How can anyone prevent an MP from going to his home, which is his constituency," Singhvi asked.

He said BJP President Amit Shah had been travelling in every nook and corner of the country during festivals, on holidays and on normal days for the last three years but he was never stopped by any District Magistrate on the pretext that police force was not available.

"Why is Rahul Gandhi's movement being curtailed? It has also happened earlier. It was only after we protested and put the matter before the media that the Amethi district administration gave permission," Singhvi said.

He also shared the letter signed by District Magistrate Kumar and Superintendent of Police Poonam that requested Rahul Gandhi to postpone his visit.