The Shiv Sena (UBT), which had warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against “insulting” Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, said on Wednesday that the issue has been resolved and they were “firmly united” with the Opposition parties in their fight against the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.“The issue has ended for us…The matter has been resolved,” MP Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant, told The Indian Express. “I have spoken to Rahul Gandhi about the issue,” he added.In his speech in Malegaon on Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray had warned Rahul Gandhi that the Sena (UBT) would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Savarkar is our deity…we will not tolerate any insult to him,” Thackeray had said.Asked whether Gandhi had promised not to raise the Savarkar issue again, Raut said, “We do not want to speak about it anymore. As I have said, the matter has been resolved.”When asked what the party’s stand would be if Gandhi raises the issue again, Raut said, “If Rahul Gandhi raises the issue again, we will see what to do… But we are confident he will not raise the issue.”Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will be attending the meetings convened by the Opposition or the Congress. The Sena had on Monday night skipped a meeting convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We are firmly united with the Opposition to save democracy and dislodge the BJP from power,” Raut said.On Tuesday, Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said 19 parties were saying in one voice that democracy was in danger and “we have to unitedly face and fight the dictatorial government”. The Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, was one of the 19 parties.“There were 18 parties last night. Today, I have said 19. The number will go up from 18 to 19 when Shiv Sena is part of the group,” Ramesh said at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. To this, Raut said, “We are with the Congress and the Opposition…We will be attending all their meetings.”
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which had warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against “insulting” Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, said on Wednesday that the issue has been resolved and they were “firmly united” with the Opposition parties in their fight against the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.“The issue has ended for us…The matter has been resolved,” MP Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant, told The Indian Express. “I have spoken to Rahul Gandhi about the issue,” he added.In his speech in Malegaon on Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray had warned Rahul Gandhi that the Sena (UBT) would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Savarkar is our deity…we will not tolerate any insult to him,” Thackeray had said.Asked whether Gandhi had promised not to raise the Savarkar issue again, Raut said, “We do not want to speak about it anymore. As I have said, the matter has been resolved.”When asked what the party’s stand would be if Gandhi raises the issue again, Raut said, “If Rahul Gandhi raises the issue again, we will see what to do… But we are confident he will not raise the issue.”Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will be attending the meetings convened by the Opposition or the Congress. The Sena had on Monday night skipped a meeting convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We are firmly united with the Opposition to save democracy and dislodge the BJP from power,” Raut said.On Tuesday, Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said 19 parties were saying in one voice that democracy was in danger and “we have to unitedly face and fight the dictatorial government”. The Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, was one of the 19 parties.“There were 18 parties last night. Today, I have said 19. The number will go up from 18 to 19 when Shiv Sena is part of the group,” Ramesh said at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. To this, Raut said, “We are with the Congress and the Opposition…We will be attending all their meetings.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi purposefully throws mud at others without any authentication despite being cautioned by Supreme Court once, and it is his “arrogance” that has led him to this point where he stands disqualified from Lok Sabha, according to BJP leader and Union Minister Anurag Thakur.“There are seven ongoing defamation cases where Rahul Gandhi is out on bail, including the one where he called RSS the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, and the 2009 case in Patna court again where he called the Modi community thief,” Thakur told The Indian Express on Tuesday.He said that in 2018, Rahul had given a written apology to the Supreme Court, and the court had categorically told him to exercise caution in the future. “But he has not learnt from the Supreme Court order,” Thakur.“In this particular case, he had the opportunity to apologise (in court) and get away. But it is his arrogance and high-headedness that have led him to this point where he stands disqualified today,” the minister said, referring to the criminal defamation case in which the Congress leader was convicted last week.On the Opposition’s allegations that Rahul has been disqualified purposefully to stop him from raising the Adani issue in Parliament, Thakur said, “The moment an MP or MLA stands convicted and gets a two-year jail, he gets disqualified. It is not for the Lok Sabha to decide and issue any order, it happens by default, he is immediately disqualified.”Rahul had the remedy to go to a higher court to get a stay on the conviction, but again, he showed arrogance, Thakur said. “Despite being disqualified, you (Rahul) think you are bigger than the nation, Parliament, and law.”Thakur further said that Rahul was always unfit for Parliament. “Ab yeh ayogya ho gaye hain (for Parliament), par yogya to yeh pehle bhi nahi the. His attendance is below average, and he has hardly participated in debates or raised questions for the common people,” he said.“To top it all, he raises questions about the country on foreign soil. He called the Indian Army in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh an occupation force,” the minister said. “Those who need help from international forces go to foreign soil and tarnish India.”The BJP leader said Rahul was convicted for something he said, a crime he committed, and this had nothing to do with the Adani issue that the Congress is trying to raise. “Tomorrow, he might be jailed for the National Herald case, or in any other defamation cases that he is out on bail for, his own offences can’t be connected to other issues, be it Adani or something else,” he said.Thakur said the Congress would pay the price for Rahul’s arrogance and his comments after disqualification. His own party’s OBC (Other Backward Classes) leaders are refusing to stand up for him, fearing they will lose their vote bank while his Savarkar comments have upset the Shiv Sena, and even threatened their alliance. “Now, if Uddhav (Thackeray) is back in the same frame as Rahul, people will question his ideology and intention,” he said.“Rahul’s own party’s MPs and MLAs in Maharashtra are upset with the Congress party,” he said.On Priyanka Gandhi invoking Hindu deity Ram to counter BJP’s allegations of dynastic politics, Thakur said, “Those who never believed in Lord Ram and Ram Setu, and were against Ram Mandir, today they have the audacity to compare their own family with Lord Ram.”On the Opposition’s accusation that the government is using agencies against their leaders, Thakur said, “They should not create political pressure to stop probe against them; if there are complaints, there will be an investigation, be it Lalu Prasad or K Kavitha or Manish Sisodia.”On how his party is going to clear the air on the Adani issue, which has created a logjam in Parliament, Thakur said the government has nothing to hide. “The SBI made a statement, so did RBI, SEBI … even the Finance Minister made a statement,” he said, adding categorically that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe remains out of question.With the current Parliament session heading for a washout, Thakur said, “Budget has gone through, other Bills will be passed, but what Parliament stands for – debate, discussion, deliberation – that has not happened.”
Why does the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament last week have the reek of dirty politics? Why does a Prime Minister with the highest approval ratings of any world leader seem afraid of a man his spokesmen routinely dismiss as a goof? Why does the most powerful political party in the world seem suddenly unsure of its stature? If you think I have the answers to these questions, you are wrong, but they are questions that are being asked and should be asked.Rahul Gandhi may not be the most skillful politician, but it is hard to see him as a criminal who deserves to have his entire political career ended because he made a silly speech. The court in Surat that sentenced him to two years in prison for ‘criminally defaming’ everyone whose name is Modi had barely announced its judgement when the administrative machinery of Parliament swung into action. The court gave him thirty days to appeal against the sentence but before any appeal could be filed Rahul found himself disqualified as the Member of Parliament from Wayanad.It is not the legality of what has happened that should be a cause of concern but the politics that seems to envelope what happened. Ever since Rahul said ‘on foreign soil’ that democracy in India has been weakened since Narendra Modi became prime minister, he has been a BJP target. For the first time ever, Parliament was prevented from functioning not because of the opposition but because of the treasury benches. Senior ministers lined up to demand stridently in the house and outside that Rahul Gandhi apologize to Parliament for saying that he was prevented from speaking in it.After the ‘A’ team had finished their attack, the BJP’s ‘B’ team that consists of its spokesmen was ordered to attack and they did. Brutally. One spokesman, who has been the TV face of the party, went to the extent of declaring that Rahul was the Mir Jaffar of our times. For those who do not remember this historical figure, a short reminder. He was the traitor who helped the British win the Battle of Plassey. What did Rahul say in London or Cambridge University that makes him a traitor? Nothing.He wanted to come to Parliament to answer the charges being flung at him by the BJP but was not allowed to speak. After this, came the disqualification without giving him time to appeal the sentence. So, what is really going on? Could it be that the most popular leader in the world is seriously worried about a man who has led the Congress Party to two defeats in general elections? The more important question is why Narendra Modi appears to be going out of his way to prove Rahul Gandhi’s charge that he has crippled our democratic institutions by exerting upon them his immense power?Surely, he does not believe that Rahul is so big a criminal that he has no place in Parliament. He cannot possibly support Rahul’s disqualification since according to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 39% (116) of the BJP’s winning candidates in 2019 had criminal cases against them. The Congress Party scored higher at 57% or 29 MPs with criminal records. Many have charges far more serious on their records than criminal defamation. All Rahul did was ask rhetorically why it seemed that all crooks were called Modi. This comment offended a BJP man whose name was Modi, so he filed criminal defamation charges on behalf of the entire Modi community.What worries me as someone who has covered Indian politics for a very long time is how very thin-skinned our politicians seem to have become. Clearly, they have not heard what the American President, Harry Truman, said about the pressures of public life. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” It is worth remembering Truman’s words because the defining trait of nearly all our public figures in recent times is that they are offended so easily that even the once mighty Indian media has learned the art of kowtowing. This is unfortunate because we already have high officials and Bollywood stars kowtowing and opposition leaders living in mortal dread of the midnight knock that could bring either the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation to their doors.Meanwhile, the Budget got passed last week without debate because Parliament has not functioned in the hope that Rahul Gandhi will apologise for saying that Indian democracy is under threat. Now, he has no need to because the doors of Parliament house are closed to him for the immediate future. The question really is whether all this will help the BJP win a third term and the answer is that by the time the next general election comes around, who knows how many more opposition leaders will find themselves reluctant to stay in the kitchen because the heat has got too intense.For the moment, they seem to all be standing on the side of Rahul Gandhi and that is good news. So far, they have been suspicious of the Congress Party’s projection of their leader as a future prime minister, and many have said more than once that who becomes prime minister can only be decided after the election results come. Now we have Arvind Kejriwal saying that this is not Rahul Gandhi’s fight alone but theirs as well.
Why does the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament last week have the reek of dirty politics? Why does a Prime Minister with the highest approval ratings of any world leader seem afraid of a man his spokesmen routinely dismiss as a goof? Why does the most powerful political party in the world seem suddenly unsure of its stature? If you think I have the answers to these questions, you are wrong, but they are questions that are being asked and should be asked.Rahul Gandhi may not be the most skillful politician, but it is hard to see him as a criminal who deserves to have his entire political career ended because he made a silly speech. The court in Surat that sentenced him to two years in prison for ‘criminally defaming’ everyone whose name is Modi had barely announced its judgement when the administrative machinery of Parliament swung into action. The court gave him thirty days to appeal against the sentence but before any appeal could be filed Rahul found himself disqualified as the Member of Parliament from Wayanad.It is not the legality of what has happened that should be a cause of concern but the politics that seems to envelope what happened. Ever since Rahul said ‘on foreign soil’ that democracy in India has been weakened since Narendra Modi became prime minister, he has been a BJP target. For the first time ever, Parliament was prevented from functioning not because of the opposition but because of the treasury benches. Senior ministers lined up to demand stridently in the house and outside that Rahul Gandhi apologize to Parliament for saying that he was prevented from speaking in it.After the ‘A’ team had finished their attack, the BJP’s ‘B’ team that consists of its spokesmen was ordered to attack and they did. Brutally. One spokesman, who has been the TV face of the party, went to the extent of declaring that Rahul was the Mir Jaffar of our times. For those who do not remember this historical figure, a short reminder. He was the traitor who helped the British win the Battle of Plassey. What did Rahul say in London or Cambridge University that makes him a traitor? Nothing.He wanted to come to Parliament to answer the charges being flung at him by the BJP but was not allowed to speak. After this, came the disqualification without giving him time to appeal the sentence. So, what is really going on? Could it be that the most popular leader in the world is seriously worried about a man who has led the Congress Party to two defeats in general elections? The more important question is why Narendra Modi appears to be going out of his way to prove Rahul Gandhi’s charge that he has crippled our democratic institutions by exerting upon them his immense power?Surely, he does not believe that Rahul is so big a criminal that he has no place in Parliament. He cannot possibly support Rahul’s disqualification since according to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 39% (116) of the BJP’s winning candidates in 2019 had criminal cases against them. The Congress Party scored higher at 57% or 29 MPs with criminal records. Many have charges far more serious on their records than criminal defamation. All Rahul did was ask rhetorically why it seemed that all crooks were called Modi. This comment offended a BJP man whose name was Modi, so he filed criminal defamation charges on behalf of the entire Modi community.What worries me as someone who has covered Indian politics for a very long time is how very thin-skinned our politicians seem to have become. Clearly, they have not heard what the American President, Harry Truman, said about the pressures of public life. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” It is worth remembering Truman’s words because the defining trait of nearly all our public figures in recent times is that they are offended so easily that even the once mighty Indian media has learned the art of kowtowing. This is unfortunate because we already have high officials and Bollywood stars kowtowing and opposition leaders living in mortal dread of the midnight knock that could bring either the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation to their doors.Meanwhile, the Budget got passed last week without debate because Parliament has not functioned in the hope that Rahul Gandhi will apologise for saying that Indian democracy is under threat. Now, he has no need to because the doors of Parliament house are closed to him for the immediate future. The question really is whether all this will help the BJP win a third term and the answer is that by the time the next general election comes around, who knows how many more opposition leaders will find themselves reluctant to stay in the kitchen because the heat has got too intense.For the moment, they seem to all be standing on the side of Rahul Gandhi and that is good news. So far, they have been suspicious of the Congress Party’s projection of their leader as a future prime minister, and many have said more than once that who becomes prime minister can only be decided after the election results come. Now we have Arvind Kejriwal saying that this is not Rahul Gandhi’s fight alone but theirs as well.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray over Rahul Gandhi's remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.Mr Shinde also said the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party will hold a 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' across the state.Mr Shinde, who was addressing reporters alongside Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, asked Thackeray to show "courage" to oppose these remarks.Mr Shinde said the Thackeray-led outfit had crossed all limits when they joined the Congress in opposing Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as Lok Sabha MP last week.Gandhi was disqualified on March 24 after a court in Surat in Gujarat sentenced him to two years in jail in a defamation case."What are you (Thackeray) going to do when you say you are not going to tolerate Savarkar's insult. You need to show that courage," Mr Shinde told reporters.Mr Shinde said Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray had launched a "joda mara abhiyaan" (hitting with slippers) in 2004 against the then Union minister and Congressman Mani Shankar Aiyar for his remarks against Savarkar."Those talking about Hindutva, their MLAs saying we will not tolerate Savarkar's insult were quiet for (the sake of) politics and Maha Vikas Aghadi. This is their double standards," Mr Shinde alleged.At a rally on Sunday, Thackeray said he considered Savarkar as his "idol", and had asked Gandhi to refrain from "insulting" him."By making defamatory statements against Savarkar, the sympathy gained by Rahul Gandhi will start ebbing. This will, for sure, put the Maharashtra Congress in a uncomfortable position," an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana' had said on Monday.The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.To become like Savarkar, one needs to sacrifice and have love for the country, Mr Shinde said.Mr Shinde also dubbed Gandhi's criticism in the United Kingdom of the Narendra Modi government as treason.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comGandhi had criticised the country and it democracy there, Mr Shinde alleged.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Uddhav Thackeray urged Rahul Gandhi to "not get provoked" (File)New Delhi/Mumbai: Upset by Rahul Gandhi's "My name is not Savarkar, won't apologise" comment after his disqualification as an MP, ally Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday warned of "fissures in the Maharashtra opposition alliance" if the Congress leader didn't stop "insulting our God"."I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that we have come together, that's right, we have come together to save democracy and constitution in this country. But do not make any statements that will create fissures. They (BJP) are trying to provoke you, if we miss this timing, then our country will surely go towards autocracy," Uddhav Thackeray said.The Congress and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, along with the NCP, have been in an alliance since they formed a coalition government in Maharashtra in 2019. They stayed in the alliance even after a coup in the Shiv Sena brought down Uddhav Thackeray's government and rebel Eknath Shinde took power in an alliance with the BJP.Rahul Gandhi's criticism of Hindu ideologue Vinayak "Veer" Savarkar during his Bharat Jodo Yatra last year had sparked a rift between the Congress and Uddhav Thackeray's party. The allies had smoothed over differences at the time, with Mr Thackeray's top aide Sanjay Raut joining Rahul Gandhi's march.On Saturday, when Rahul Gandhi was asked about his refusal to apologise for his comments on democracy in the UK or for the "Modi surname" remark that led to his conviction in a court, he said: "My name is not Savarkar. My name is Gandhi and Gandhi doesn't apologise."In a sharp reaction, Uddhav Thackeray said he considered Savarkar his idol and the Congress leader should refrain from insulting him."Savarkar suffered unimaginable torture in the Andaman cellular jail for 14 years. We can only read the sufferings. It is a form of sacrifice. We will not tolerate the insult of Savarkar," Uddhav Thackeray said."I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that you walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Sanjay Raut walked with you, we are with you. But I want to tell Rahul Gandhi openly that this fight is for saving democracy. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that Savarkar is our God, we won't tolerate his insult. We will not tolerate this at all."An editorial in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna doubled down on his condemnation of Rahul Gandhi's remarks."What happened with Rahul Gandhi in defamation case is injustice, but by insulting Savarkar, he can't win the battle of truth. Gandhi is born into a family who sacrificed their lives for the country and that is the truth, but even Savarkar and his family has worked for the country. Insulting Savarkar will reduce sympathy for Rahul Gandhi," the editorial said.Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP after a Surat court sentenced him to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comUddhav Thackeray urged Rahul Gandhi to "not get provoked and to come together to save India's democracy"."Modi is not India. Did our freedom fighters lay down their lives for this? Questioning Modi is not about insulting India," he said.
In the wake of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a defamation case, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not facing a similar action for constantly criticising Sonia Gandhi and late PM Rajiv Gandhi.He said Rahul Gandhi was being punished for becoming the voice of the people, and added that his disqualification was against democratic values.Members of the Nagpur District Congress Committee and party workers led by Patole, former Union minister Vilas Muttemwar and other leaders staged a day-long 'Sankalp Satyagraha' protest at the Sanvidhan square to show their solidarity with Rahul Gandhi."Democracy in the country is facing a big threat because of the Modi-led government's autocratic rule. Rahul Gandhi had been constantly raising the issue of fugitive economic offenders Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who ran away with the country's money. This is what the Opposition does and it is the duty of the government to reply," Patole said in a press conference during the protest."The country's prime minister constantly attacked the Gandhi family and their (BJP) ministers insulted former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. They call Rahul Gandhi anti-national, forgetting that he is the grandson of a freedom fighter and son of a martyr. They are targeting members of a family who have sacrificed their lives and this fight is against this mindset of calling a nationalist an anti-national," he alleged.Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail for calling Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi thieves, he claimed."I want to question why there is no action against PM Modi, who constantly attacks Sonia Gandhi and called Rajiv Gandhi 'chor' (thief)? Why is he not getting this kind of punishment?" he asked.Rahul Gandhi was becoming the voice of people, and disqualifying him from the Lok Sabha was against the values of democracy and injustice to him, Mr Patole said.The Congress leader announced that a huge rally will be taken out on March 29 against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at various places across India.Gandhi, representing Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, was on Friday disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after his conviction in a defamation case by a court in Surat in Gujarat.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in the defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks at a 2019 poll rally in Karnataka. However, the court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Friday said by disqualifying party leader Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha member, the BJP-led Central government has brought down the level of politics. Taking to Twitter, Chavan alleged the Centre had taken such an action because it does not want people to raise their voices and speak against it. Gandhi has been disqualified as a Lok Sabha member after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. The court has granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. "By disqualifying Rahul Gandhi as a member of Parliament, the central government has brought down the level of politics," the former chief minister tweeted. The whole situation is frustrating, he said, adding that he condemns the move that has strangled democracy.Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve in a tweet said the action against Gandhi makes the Central government's policy and intentions towards the Opposition clear. Despite enjoying majority in the Parliament, such an action against a legislator of the opposition party is the outcome of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said.
The Maharashtra Assembly has become the fourth state legislature to pass a resolution against the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots, saying the film attempted to malign the country’s judiciary and create a religious divide.The resolution, moved by BJP member Atul Bhatkhalkar, was passed by a voice vote on Saturday. The Opposition was not in the House when it was taken up.The other states that have passed similar resolutions are:AssamOn March 23, the Assam Assembly passed a resolution against the BBC documentary, demanding “strictest possible action” against the broadcaster’s “malicious, dangerous agenda to instigate religious communities, flare religious tension and malign India’s global standing”.BJP MLA Bhubon Pegu, who moved the resolution, questioned the timing of the release of the documentary and alleged an “international conspiracy” against India. “It was a very saddening and heartbreaking event. What can be the BBC’s motive behind making this documentary 20 years later? They could have made it then, in 2010, or in 2012. But what is the motive behind broadcasting it in February 2023? This is the time of India becoming rashtraguru, of assuming G20 presidency, when PM Narendra Modi is giving leadership to the world … One year ago, after administering vaccines to 220 crore people, India’s economy crossed Great Britain’s economy to become the fifth-largest economy in the world. That is the real tragedy of Britain. That is the real tragedy of the BBC. It is hurting them that a country they ruled for 200 years has now surpassed them to become the fifth-largest economy. They are not able to digest this … This is an international conspiracy against India,” he said.Congress MLA Debadrata Saikia argued that the question was not one that concerned the state Assembly and hence need not be discussed. He went on to cite an earlier documentary made by the BBC.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “This is related to Assam too, because it’s connected with the independence of the Indian judiciary. It is not about the BBC, it is about respecting the judiciary or judicial orders … Some days ago, a Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justice A M Khan, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice C T Ravikumar, not only gave clean chit to Narendra Modi in its 450-page judgment, they also went ahead to describe the entire episode as a political conspiracy. ”Madhya PradeshOn March 13, the Madhya Pradesh legislature passed a censure motion against the BBC after it was introduced as a private member’s resolution by BJP MLA Shailendra Jain and seconded by Minister Narottam Mishra.Before the motion was passed by voice vote, Jain said the BBC had telecast an objectionable documentary by misinterpreting the 2002 Gujarat riots and portrayed Narendra Modi in a bad light.He said the documentary had also cast aspersions on the country’s judiciary, which amounts to contempt of court, and added that the judiciary works independently and freely in India. Jain said the Central government should take action against the broadcaster.GujaratOn March 11, the Gujarat Assembly became the first to move such a resolution. It demanded “strict” action against BBC for airing a “fabricated” documentary that was used as a “tool-kit” to “defame” Modi and destabilise India. However, Congress MLAs, who were earlier suspended for protesting against the change of “prasad” at Ambaji temple, were absent from the Assembly.The private member’s resolution, moved by Sojitra MLA Vipul Patel of the BJP, was passed after ruling party MLAs discussed the resolution for almost 90 minutes. “The passage of a private member’s resolution unanimously by all the members present is a big thing. This reflects how much anger is there among the masses regarding the BBC documentary,” Speaker Chaudhary said afterwards.“BBC seems to be working with a hidden agenda against the country and the government of India,” stated the resolution, adding it was nothing but an “agenda” against PM Modi whose “prestige, image and leadership” had been appreciated internationally.Minister Harsh Sanghavi listed the chronology of the Godhra train carnage of 2002 and cited the comments made against the documentary by UK MP Bob Blackman and Member of House of Lords of UK Raminder Ranger. “This documentary is nothing but a tool-kit to act against India. In psychology, you might have heard of phobia. Some media suffer from Modi-phobia or India-phobia,” he said.Vadodara City MLA Manisha Vakil said the documentary hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians. “The BBC documentary is a mere international propaganda. It is totally biased and showcases the colonial mindset that deliberately tries to misinform its viewer. It is working under the guise of media freedom,” she said.
On Tuesday, the Assam Assembly passed a resolution against the BBC for its documentary on the 2002 riots that questioned the role of the Gujarat government led by Narendra Modi, demanding “strictest possible action” against the broadcaster’s “malicious, dangerous agenda to instigate religious communities, flare religious tension and malign India’s global standing”. Excerpts from the discussion around the resolution, which was moved by Jonai BJP MLA Bhubon Pegu.FORBhubon Pegu, BJPMoving the resolution, Pegu questioned the timing of the release of the documentary and alleged an “international conspiracy” against India. “It was a very saddening and heart-breaking event. What can be the BBC’s motive behind making this documentary 20 years later? They could have made it then, in 2010, or in 2012. But what is the motive behind broadcasting it in February 2023? This is the time of India becoming rashtraguru, of assuming G20 presidency, when PM Narendra Modi is giving leadership to the world… One year ago, after administering vaccines to 220 crore people, India’s economy crossed Great Britain’s economy to become the fifth largest economy in the world. That is the real tragedy of Britain. That is the real tragedy of the BBC. It is hurting them that a country they ruled for 200 years has now surpassed them to become the fifth largest economy. They are not able to digest this… This is an international conspiracy against India,” he said.AGAINSTDebabrata Saika, Congress, Leader of OppositionSaikia argued that the question is not one that concerns the state Assembly, and hence need not be discussed. He went on to cite an earlier documentary made by the BBC. “The BBC is a public corporation, it is not controlled by the [British] government, so it can speak the truth. When (Winston) Churchill was the Prime Minister during World War 2, the BBC had even criticised him… In 2013, Modi called the BBC the most trustworthy news platform because in 2010, it had made a documentary called A Sikh Story on the events of 1984 after PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination. This was made 26 years after those events… Even though there was a Congress government at the time, it didn’t try to get the film removed by saying it’s bad,” he said.He referred to the government reaction as an attack on the freedom of the press. “After the documentary was telecast, raids on BJP agencies immediately stopped. This and many other cases are nothing but an attempt to warn media houses to fall in line. It is a blatant way of censoring press freedom. In the World Press Freedom Index 2022 list, India plummeted to the 150th position. The falling rank indicates the way this country is treating the media and how restrictions have been imposed using symbolic and indicative means… At a time when we are trying to present ourselves as Vishwaguru, why do we need to be bothered by what is being said in a documentary?” he asked.Aminul Islam Sr., AIUDFIslam Sr. opposed any discussion on the resolution, saying it was a waste of the Assembly’s time. “These events took place in Gujarat, which has its own Assembly. The subject, Narendra Modi is now the Prime Minister of the country. After this documentary was broadcast, we saw the ED raid the BBC office in Delhi. We do not think there is anything for this Assembly to do in the matter, given that the central government has already begun its own action with the ED raid… So our view is that the Assam Assembly’s valuable time can be spent on more pressing matters of the state… We don’t think it’s right to waste this Assembly’s precious time,” he said.Manoranjan Talukdar, CPI(M)Talukdar said any discussion of this resolution could lead to a slippery slope, opening up possibilities for debates on many other similarly controversial topics in the Assembly. “If such a matter is brought to our Assembly, many other matters can also be introduced. There are lots of discussions happening now, about Adani and so on. If all these are debated in the House, we will be trapped in disagreements. Let the matter be tackled by the Central government,” he said.He also jokingly questioned how Pegu was so sure about the contents of the documentary. “Nobody here has seen the BBC documentary. It appears that Bhubon Pegu has watched it somehow, which is why he has introduced this resolution. How he managed to watch it, I don’t know. It would have been good if he had shown it to us as well. Then we would have been able to comment on what the BBC said in it,” he said.FORChief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJPThe thrust of Sarma’s argument was that the documentary was an attack on the Indian judiciary. “This is related to Assam too, because it’s connected with the independence of the Indian judiciary. It is not about the BBC, it is about respecting the judiciary or judicial orders… Some days ago, a Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justice A M Khan, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice C T Ravikumar, not only gave clean chit to Narendra Modi in its 450-page judgment, they also went ahead to describe the entire episode as a political conspiracy,” he said.He also argued that the timing of the documentary’s release made the BBC’s motives suspicious. “When did the BBC release the documentary? Just when a G20 delegation had come to Assam, right after India had assumed its presidency, or when it was decided that five G20 meetings will be held in the state? It could also have been released before the Supreme Court verdict. But they released this documentary just after the Supreme Court concluded hearing the matter and called it a political conspiracy. Assam is also connected to G20 because it is our duty to host five of the G20 meetings,” he said.He also alleged a conspiracy to impair India’s growth.“They want to challenge the Indian judiciary. They want to challenge India. It can also be that the country they used to run, whose economy we have recently overtaken to become the fifth largest in the world… Maybe we will become the fourth largest by 2027… We see the BBC documentary as an international conspiracy against India to stop foreign investment from coming to India and to lower respect for it,” he said.AGAINSTDebabrata Saikia, CongressSaikia next referred to a 2004 judgment by the Bombay High Court. “When D Y Chandrachud was a Bombay High Court judge, there was a plea against the ban of a film, set in the backdrop of the Gujarat riots, called Chand Bujh Gaya. In his judgment, Justice Chandrachud wrote, “Every citizen has a right to speak, as indeed a right to know. Nothing can be more destructive of the social fabric of a democratic society than the government’s attempt at preventing access to information. In an environment, in which human rights are respected, is nurtured by a vibrant flow of information and avenues for a critical assessment of governance…’”Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJPHe refuted Saikia’s reference to the judgment, saying, “The opening paras of the judgment that the LoP read out, said ‘every citizen’. The BBC is not a citizen of India… Freedom of speech or judgment won’t extend to the BBC.”
Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday (March 23) held guilty and sentenced to two years in jail in a 2019 defamation case over his remarks about the “Modi surname” by a court in Gujarat’s Surat.Gandhi allegedly said “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” during a rally in Kolar, Karnataka in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court, the Congress leader’s lawyer Babu Mangukiya said.BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi had filed a complaint against Gandhi. Purnesh Modi was a minister in the first tenure of the Bhupendra Patel government and is an MLA from the Surat West Assembly. Congress party functionaries assembled in Surat in a show of strength and support for Gandhi.The court had last week concluded hearing final arguments from both sides, Gandhi’s lawyer Kirit Panwala had said. Gandhi last appeared before the Surat court in the case in October 2021 to record his statement, according to a PTI report.The Gujarat High Court had stayed the proceedings in March 2022 after Modi moved a petition seeking a stay on the proceedings, primarily on the ground of lack of sufficient evidence. Advocate Harshit Tolia, representing Modi, then said, “We have now withdrawn the petition following sufficient evidence coming on the court’s record.” They said CDs and a pen drive contained the alleged material.The final arguments resumed last month after the High Court vacated its stay on proceedings, imposed on a plea by the complainant demanding Gandhi’s personal appearance.Meanwhile, Gandhi’s lawyer previously argued the court proceedings were “flawed” from the beginning as the procedure laid down under section 202 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) was not followed. The CrPC section deals with the postponement of issue of process.The lawyer also argued that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and not Purnesh Modi, should have been the complainant in the case because the PM was the main target of Gandhi’s speech. The case was filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499 and 500, dealing with defamation.Defamation is a wrong that deals with damage caused to a person’s reputation.In India, defamation can both be a civil wrong and a criminal offence, depending on the objective they seek to achieve. A civil wrong sees a wrong being redressed with monetary compensation, while a criminal law seeks to punish a wrongdoer and send a message to others not to commit such acts, with a jail term. In a criminal case, defamation has to be established beyond reasonable doubt but in a civil defamation suit, damages can be awarded based on probabilities.Section 499 of the IPC defines what amounts to criminal defamation and subsequent provisions define its punishment. Section 499 elaborates on how defamation could be through words – spoken or intended to be read, through signs, and also through visible representations. These can either be published or spoken about a person with the intention of damaging reputation of that person, or with the knowledge or reason to believe that the imputation will harm his reputation.Section 500 stipulates imprisonment of up to two years, with or without a fine, for someone held guilty of criminal defamation.The disqualification of an MP convicted for an offence can happen in two instances. First, if the offence for which he is convicted is listed in Section 8(1) of the Representation of Peoples Act.This includes offences such as section 153A (offence of promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) or section 171E (offence of bribery) or section 171F (offence of undue influence or personation at an election) and a few others.However, the section also states that the disqualification takes effect only “after three months have elapsed” from the date of conviction. Within that period, Gandhi can file an appeal against the sentence before the High Court.(With PTI inputs)
It is acknowledged even by Narendra Modi’s harshest critics that when it comes to playing the game of politics, he is the master. He has managed always to turn all attacks on him into boomerangs that he keeps stowed away to be used when the time is right. A BJP cartoon that popped up on YouTube last week is proof of this. In it we see Modi dressed as a simple man with a cloth bag slung on his shoulder marching up endless flights of steep stairs that go higher and higher as he walks calmly on leaving Sonia and Rahul Gandhi gasping for breath on the sidelines. The cartoon’s commentary reminds them pointedly of comments made long ago about him being a ‘chaiwallah’, a ‘merchant of death’ and of ‘lowly’ breeding. Modi the hero strides on higher and higher. It is corny this cartoon but effective.This is why the recent hysteria that he has personally instigated over Rahul Gandhi’s comments in England is so puzzling. It indicates that perhaps he is not as skilled at playing the game of politics as is generally believed. I am no admirer of Rahul Gandhi but concede that in the needless brouhaha about what he said and did not say on his foreign tour he has behaved with more dignity and maturity than the Prime Minister or the senior ministers he chose as his attack team.Parliament’s Budget Session remained stalled all week because of the hysteria whipped up by Modi’s ministers and MPs in their determination to make Rahul apologize for what he said about Indian democracy on ‘foreign soil’. He responded correctly by saying that he had not said what they say he said and so the question of apologizing did not arise. A fair remark since nobody can be ordered to apologize for something they have not said.It is true that Rahul chose his words incautiously when he said that democracy had died in India and that it was for democratic countries to sit up and take notice because ‘Indian democracy is a public good.’ But he did not ask Western democratic leaders to intervene in India’s internal affairs and he did not say anything that can be considered an insult to India.Anyone who gets elected to Parliament should be fully aware that there is a difference between India and the Indian government. You would not know this from the unbalanced and frenzied comments that came from the most senior ministers in the Modi government. Rahul was critical of the government and the policies that he believes have weakened democratic institutions. He has a right to say this, and it does not make him a traitor or anti-India which is what he was made to sound like by the ministers who ranted and raved against him. If they were so upset by his remarks, surely the best course would have been to debate the matter in Parliament instead of making both houses dysfunctional? And over what?Rahul has said similar things before many times. In his attacks on the Prime Minister, he has gone so far as to call him corrupt and a thief, but our ‘nationalistic’ ministers appear to be most offended by the fact that this time his criticism of Indian democracy was on ‘foreign soil.’ Is the BJP so digitally illiterate that it has not yet discovered that the Internet has blurred geographical boundaries so totally that what you say in one country can be seen and heard in other countries in real time? The whole issue is absurd and childish. For a change, the man that the BJP has for eight years dismissed as Pappu or a goof came across as the only grown-up in the room.What puzzles me as an ex-Modi Bhakt is why a man who is believed to have the highest approval ratings of any world leader should behave in so insecure a fashion. The Congress Party’s spokesmen have said openly that the reason why it is the government that has been responsible for stalling Parliament this time is because the Prime Minister is afraid that the financial dealings of his close friend, Gautam Adani, will somehow spill mud on his shining image. If this is truly what has shaken his confidence and his political timing, then the Prime Minister should have no hesitation in ordering a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate. The history of JPCs tells us that this parliamentary device is where burning issues go to die or at least be buried for a very long while.One way or another, it is time to allow Parliament to function. If we are, as the Prime Minister says proudly, the ‘mother of democracy’, then it is wrong to make the instrument of parliamentary democracy dysfunctional. With a Lok Sabha election just over a year away it is vital that voters are reminded that the people they send to Parliament are there to speak about their problems. There have been too many parliamentary sessions in recent times in which the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have become arenas for shouting, screaming, leaps into the well of the house or angry walkouts. There have been too many sessions that have been wasted on screeches and howls over issues of little consequence. It is the business of government to run Parliament so please do your job.
