Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will pay homage to 15th century Vaishnavite saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva at his birthplace Bordowa Than in Assam’s Nagaon district on January 22, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Ram temple at Ayodhya.

AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh made this statement during a media conference in Lakhimpur on Saturday, addressing reporters' persistent enquiries about the whereabouts of Rahul and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on January 22.

Ramesh said: “Around 7am on January 22, Rahulji will be at Bordowa Than in Nagaon district...It is the birthplace of Sri Sri Sankardeva who was a mahan dharma guru, social reformer and cultural icon of our country.”

Though the saint-reformer and playwright was born in the 15th century, “his life is still an inspiration to crores of people”. “His pieces of advice are even more relevant in today’s age. Rahulji will offer his shradhhanjali to him there (Bordowa Than) on the morning of January 22,” he said.

Rahul will then address a public rally with party president Mallikarjun Kharge at Kaliabor, also in Nagaon district.

Ramesh also spoke on the hurdles the Yatra is facing on its Assam leg, with Assam PCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah condemning the alleged attack on Youth Congress vehicles and tearing down of the Yatra posters and banners on Friday night in Lakhimpur.

“We will not be cowed down by these attacks. The BJP government is rattled with the support the Yatra has received from the people of Assam. The Yatra is unstoppable,” he told The Telegraph.

The Congress has gone all out against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP for allegedly creating hurdles for the Yatra. Ramesh said he was requesting BJP president J.P. Nadda to say only two things to Sarma. “We do not need any new evidence of his (Sarma) loyalty to the RSS-BJP. Give permission to take out Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from the same route through which J.P. Naddaji's rally took place.”

Nadda had undertaken a road show in Guwahati last week, but the administration is not allowing the Congress to undertake even short padyatras.

In a post, Kharge also condemned the “shameful attack on the #BharatJodoNyayYatra vehicles and tearing of the Congress party's banners and posters by BJP goons in Lakhimpur”.

The Assam chief minister is expected to respond to the Congress's charges in a news meet on Sunday.