Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: An FIR was lodged against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Assam for his recent remark in which he stated that the party was fighting against "RSS, BJP and the Indian state itself."
In the FIR lodged at Panbazar police station in Guwahati, Monjit Chetia, a resident of city's Gandhi Basti area, alleged that Gandhi's remark crossed the limits of permissible free speech. He also claimed that the former Congress president's remark also "posed a serious threat to public order and national security.'
“By declaring that his fight is against the ‘Indian state itself,’ the accused has consciously incited subversive activities and rebellion among the populace. This is an attempt to delegitimize the authority of the state and to portray it as a hostile force, thereby creating a dangerous narrative that could provoke unrest and separatist sentiments," the FIR lodged by Chetia said. The FIR was lodged on Saturday, but it was made public on Sunday.
Gandhi made the statement on Wednesday during the inauguration of party's new headquarters in Delhi, weeks before the Assembly elections in the national capital.
Chetia said that Gandhi's remark stemmed from ‘frustration’ over repeated electoral failures.
"Having been unable to gain public trust through democratic means, the accused now seeks to incite disaffection against the central government and the Indian state. This is particularly alarming, given his position as the Leader of the Opposition, a role that comes with the responsibility to maintain public confidence in democratic institutions. Instead, the accused has chosen to exploit his platform to spread falsehoods and provoke rebellion, endangering the unity and sovereignty of India," the FIR further stated.
He alleged that by making the statement, Gandhi violated section 152 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (act endangering sovereignty, unity and intergrity of India) and sought legal action against him.
Reacting to the development, Assam unit of Congress on Sunday evening said the case filed against Gandhi was only for drawing public attention."The speech delivered at the inaugural ceremony of New AICC headquarters in Delhi is to be heard in its entirety instead of plucking out a sentence from the speech to mislead the public."
"One must remember that Supreme Court Judges have also criticised the government's interference in judicial issues.
The Supreme Court recently put a question mark on Enforcement Directorate functioning contrary to statute and also the manner of implementing PMLA. Similarly, the CBI was termed as ‘caged parrot’ and was asked to be above board in its functioning. Even the Election Commission has also been asked to explain its conduct by the Supreme Court," Congress said in a statement.
"So the observation made by the Leader of Opposition is an honest factual statement. The case filed at Guwahati is only to threaten and harass people who speak the truth."