Rahul speaks to Alpesh Thakor on Gujarat violence

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday spoke to party leader Alpesh Thakor on phone over alleged attacks on people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Gujarat.

Last week, non-Gujarati natives, particularly those hailing from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were allegedly attacked and asked to leave the state after a native of Bihar was arrested for allegedly raping a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district. It was alleged that the members of 'Kshatriya Thakor Sena' staged protests in the northern part of the state and demanded that people from other states should not be given jobs in Gujarat.

Thakor, who heads the 'Kshatriya Thakor Sena, however, refuted claims of any involvement in the violence and said that if he is found guilty of threatening anyone, he would surrender before the police.

On Tuesday, Thakor told had ANI, "Only one incident happened somewhere in Gujarat and I condemn it. If I have threatened anyone, I will go to jail myself. Gujarat belongs to everyone. It is as much yours as it is mine."

Earlier on Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Zafar Islam alleged that the "Congress and Thakor community has been exposed completely" following the incident.

He said, "It is not an allegation. In the video of October 7, Alpesh Thakor and his entire Thakor community were seen provoking people with full aggression and threat. The same thing was done by Congress in the Bhima Koregaon incident. I demand the suspension of Alpesh Thakor from the party.