"I cannot stop a leader in a democratic nation but people understand that their visit to Hathras is for their politics and not for justice to the victim," said Union Minister Smriti Irani on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's attempt to go to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh to meet the family of a 19-year-old Dalit girl whose brutal gang rape and murder has sparked national outrage.
"People are aware of the Congress' tactics... That's why they ensured a historic win for the BJP in 2019 elections," Irani added.
Congress workers, aggrieved by Irani's comments, tried to stop her car in Varanasi on Saturday, 3 October, chanting "Smriti Irani go back" and "we want justice" slogans, reported NDTV.
Some of the Congress workers were later detained.
"No power in the world can stop me from meeting this grieving family and sharing their pain," tweeted Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day.
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi were stopped from going to Hathras earlier this week by the Uttar Pradesh Police, who intercepted them at Greater Noida. They were also briefly detained. In the tussle with the cops in Greater Noida, Rahul also fell to the ground.
(With inputs from NDTV)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)