A shoe was hurled at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi during a roadshow in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
Sitapur (UP): Local attempts to hurl a shoe at Cong VP Rahul Gandhi during his road show, arrested by police. pic.twitter.com/wCl2cVqOEP
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 26, 2016
Watch the video below. The exact moment of the shoe-throwing occurs around 0:03 seconds after which the Congress Vice-President along with his party members look behind trying to figure out what just happened.
Local hurls a shoe towards Congress VP Rahul Gandhi during his road show in Sitapur(UP),detained by police pic.twitter.com/oU3YsB3Fru
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 26, 2016
Soon after this incident, Rahul in his speech blamed the RSS and BJP for the attack and said that while they spread hatred, Congress and himself operate with love.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi blames BJP, RSS for shoe attack during a rally in Sitapur, says “I will keep fighting” pic.twitter.com/PD9B4G0fxb
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 26, 2016
Anoop Mishra, the shoe thrower, has been arrested. He claims to be a journalist. “The Congress has left the country in the dumps in the past 60 years. I have been a journalist for two years and I know…What were they doing when they were in power?” he said while being taken away in the police van, reports NDTV.
Rahul is undertaking a month-long ‘kisan yatra’ in the state ahead of crucial polls slated early next year.
During the yatra, he will traverse across 233 of the 403 assembly constituencies through 39 districts of the state covering 2,500 km to reach out to people.
Rahul will also have ‘khaat sabhas’ in 21 districts where he will touch upon farmers’ plight, unemployment, rising prices and the importance of communal harmony for social and economic development.
Further details awaited.