Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was stopped from visiting Batadrava Than owing to “issues related to his security” on Monday, which witnessed competing narratives of the Right-wing ecosystem and the Congress over the Ram temple consecration play out “peacefully” on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra route in two central Assam districts of Nagaon and Morigaon.

Police said Rahul was not allowed to go because of a letter written by the Sri Sri Batadrava Than Parichalana Committee, which wanted him to visit after 3pm because a lot of devotees were expected there on the occasion of the Ram temple consecration.

“We wanted him to come after 3pm because he is a national leader. We wanted to give him a proper welcome and also wanted that the visit pass off smoothly,” a source associated with the Than told The Telegraph.

Sources said a group of local youths had arranged a live screening of the Ram temple’s inaugural ceremony outside the Than. A lot of people were also expected to turn up to see Rahul. They said the Than committee did not want any kind of misunderstanding between the two groups.

The Congress brass had turned down the invite to the Ayodhya temple inauguration, prompting the Right-wing ecosystem to term them “anti-Hindu”.

Rahul tried to make it to the birthplace of saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva to pay his homage by reaching Haiborgaon around 8.25am but ran into barricades put up by the police.

He and other Congress leaders urged the police to let them go as the Than Samiti had “welcomed” Rahul’s desire to visit the place. However, it did not cut ice with the administration.

Rahul, who sat on the road waiting for a police nod to proceed, later said the Than committee had been “obviously pressurised from the top”.

Rahul told reporters: “The administration says I can’t go. I asked them why I can’t go. What is my galti (fault)? I want to pay my respects (since he was passing through Nagaon). Now Modiji and the government will decide who will go to a mandir, when they can and they can’t go.”

Rahul and other Congress leaders and supporters spent around two hours at Haiborgaon, about 17km from the Batardava (Bordowa) Than. The Congress MP also met children and locals.

The spot where the Yatra was stopped also had a lot of people getting ready to celebrate the Ayodhya temple consecration. The overall mood was charged up, with both sides chanting slogans, but there was no untoward incident.

The Rahul-led Yatra team left for Morigaon, about 50km away, at 10.45am. Only local MP Gaurav Gogoi and MLA S. Bora were allowed to visit the Than as “representatives” of Rahul.

After the Yatra resumed from Morigaon to Jagiroad, about 16km away, hundreds of people celebrating the Ram temple inauguration were waiting for the Yatra team across the flyover in Jagiroad town.

After waiting for half an hour, senior district administration and security officials safely escorted the Yatra team through the gathering.

As the Yatra passed by, the crowd chanted “Jai Shri Ram” and “Modi, Modi”. The chants grew as Rahul’s customised Yatra bus passed through.

Bibek Nath, a 71-year-old local, told this newspaper that the crowd was a mix of people who had come to see Rahul, celebrate the temple inauguration and participate in a procession as part of the celebration.

“They were not there to create trouble. They wanted to express their happiness before the Congress leader. Both the competing Hindutva and Congress narratives found an expression here — peacefully,” Nath said.

The Yatra, which entered Meghalaya to a rousing welcome, will reenter Assam on Tuesday.