Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday mocked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi stating that "pehle toh mujhse darta tha, ab mere bacche se bhi darna shuru kar diya (earlier he was afraid of me, now he has started being afraid of my child too)," news agency ANI reported.
Sarma further claimed that Rahul Gandhi should avoid visiting Srimanta Sankardeva's birthplace in Batadrava on January 22, since there should be no rivalry between Lord Ram and the medieval-era Vaishnav saint recognised as an icon in the state.
Speaking at a press conference, CM Sarma stated: ''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,'' PTI reported.
He may leave after the consecration ceremony without causing "unnecessary competition" that would be sad for Assam, he added.
Srimanta Sankardeva is an Assamese saint-scholar, social-religious reformer, poet, dramatist, and a towering figure in Assam's cultural and religious history from the 15th to the 16th centuries.
The Congress picked a route through "sensitive areas" of Morigaon, Jagiroad, and Nellie on Monday, which might have been avoided, according to the chief minister.
''These areas are sensitive and I cannot discount any law and order situation arising and as such commandos will be deployed along sensitive routes of minority-dominated areas to be taken by Rahul Gandhi's Yatra on January 22,'' he was quoted by PTI in its report.
District Commissioners and Superintendents of Police in certain regions have been asked to intensify patrols and maintain a close surveillance, Sarma said.