New Delhi: Commuters experienced significant traffic congestion at the Ghazipur border on Wednesday morning after police set up barricades to prevent Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, from entering Uttar Pradesh.
The blockade was implemented ahead of the Congress delegation’s planned visit to Sambhal, UP, to meet the families of the five youths killed in recent violence.
Long lines of vehicles were reported at the border, causing frustration among commuters. The deployment of additional security at the Delhi-Ghazipur border exacerbated the delays.
Many travelers shared their complaints with IANS. Om Prakash, returning from the airport, stated, “I’ve been stuck here for over an hour and I don’t know how long it will take to reach home. Why block the road because of Rahul Gandhi’s visit?”
Shikha Arora, a student, voiced her annoyance: “I left early to get home, but now it’s taking much longer. What’s the point of blocking roads for his trip to Sambhal?”
Another commuter, Kailash, mentioned, “It’s been 25 minutes since I’ve been stuck. People have to deal with a lot of inconvenience due to political activities.”
Aruna, who was on her way to a wedding in Uttarakhand, said, “We’ve been stuck for half an hour. It’s very troublesome, and the jam hasn’t cleared yet.”
Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi were halted at the Ghazipur border on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. The police cited concerns about maintaining law and order in Sambhal as the reason for stopping the Congress convoy, which included several party leaders and workers.
As the Congress MPs were prevented from proceeding, they requested that a small group be allowed to enter the troubled town. Sambhal is currently under strict police surveillance following the violence on November 24, with prohibitory orders in effect and restrictions placed on “outsiders” access to the town until December 10 to prevent further unrest.