On February 2, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced his intention to reveal details about an alleged body double used by Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the state. Sarma stated that he would address the press conference after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Assam.
“We have identified the body double which Rahul Gandhi used during the padayatra. So once the Prime Minister goes back from Assam, I will address the press conference on that to disclose the identity,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma during a press conference at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati.
Sarma claimed that the state government has confirmation that Gandhi employed a ‘lookalike’ to engage with crowds from his vehicle during most of the yatra in Assam. “We have now confirmed that in most of the route, Rahul was not interacting with the crowd; his body double was sharing the crowd. After the controversy, the body double had quietly left Guwahati without accompanying him to the next leg from Guwahati to Bengal part,” he explained.
Two cases related to this matter have been registered – one in Guwahati and another in Jorhat. HImanta Biswa Sarma mentioned that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed for the Guwahati case and is actively working on the investigation. He noted, “After India Today NE uploaded the photographs, that person quietly left Assam from Guwahati airport directly to Delhi without accompanying him to the last leg which reconfirms my allegation.”
Sarma specified that the Guwahati case is under the SIT, while the Jorhat case is being investigated in the usual manner. Regarding the revelation of the body double’s identity, he stated, “The body double part, I will reveal after the Prime Minister left the state. I don’t want to enter into that now.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Assam on February 3-4 to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development initiatives worth more than Rs 11,599 crore during a public programme in Guwahati, as announced by the Assam government. The Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Guwahati on the evening of February 3 and participate in the inauguration of projects during his visit.
