Congress and BJP trade charges over MP farmer protest, Rahul Gandhi arrested

Media reported that he is being held in a guest house and has refused to take bail.

The Congress vice president was on his way to visit Mandsaur where during a farmers' protest, five people were killed in police firing two days ago, triggering tension and prompting imposition of curfew.

Flying to Udaipur from New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi travelled by road towards Madhya Pradesh via Rajasthan.

According to local reports, he rode a bike for a part of the way and even walked across a field to avoid the police who were trying to stop him from entering MP.

Rahul Gandhi was allegedly first detained when he was almost a kilometre inside MP and taken into preventive custody, media reported.

Prior to that, Section 144 had been declared in the region.

Talking to NDTV, veteran Congress leader said only three of them were trying to enter the region which did not break the provisions of Section 144.

Senior Congress leader and former MP chief minister Digvijay Singh that they were not trying to feed the fire but trying to assuage it.

MP Home Minister said that Rahul Gandhi was riding a bike without helmet.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, MP Home Minister said that the farmers had died in police firing. A day earlier, he had said that they did not die in police firing, according to media reports.

Earlier in the day, tweets from the handle Office of RG read "Raj & MP Govts are doing their best to prevent me from entering MP & meeting the families of the #farmers killed in #Mandsaur."

Office of RG also tweeted, "What law of the land says that it is illegal to stand in solidarity with farmers who were killed simply for demanding what is their right?"

The Congress tweeted, "Congress VP #RahulGandhi taken into preventive custody by the Madhyapradesh police."

The BJP has also verbally attacked Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.

The BJP said that the UPA during its rule did not do anything for the farmers whereas MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a friend of the farmers, media reports said.

BJP said that Congress is politicising the farmers' protest for their own gains, according to media reports.

Image: INC India