FIR against Rahul Gandhi over remarks 'threatening country's sovereignty’; Congress says political stunt

Guwahati: A police case has been registered in Assam against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his purported recent remarks "threatening the sovereignty of the country", with the opposition party dismissing the complaint as a ‘political stunt’ on Monday.

A complaint was filed at Panbazar police station here by advocate Monjit Chetia on Saturday evening against remarks made by Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, during the inauguration of the Congress’ new national headquarters in New Delhi last week, police said.

Cheita alleged that Gandhi, in his speech, had said that "BJP and RSS have captured every single institution, and we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS, and the Indian state itself."

The advocate alleged that the Congress leader made these remarks "with deliberate design and calculated intent to undermine the sovereignty and integrity of the Indian state and to provoke rebellion against the democratically elected" government.

“Unable to gain public trust through democratic means, the accused now seeks to incite disaffection against the central government and the Indian state,” Chetia claimed in the complaint.

The FIR was registered under Sections 152 and 197(1)(d) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhitha, 2023.

BNS Section 152 addresses and penalises acts that threaten the sovereignty, unity, or integrity of India through various means.

Section 197(1)(d) deals with false or misleading information, jeopardising the sovereignty, unity and integrity or security of India.

Reacting to the case, leader of the opposition in Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia said, “The FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi is a political stunt. The case has been filed by someone on behalf of the BJP to threaten opposition voice.” Defending Gandhi’s remarks, he alleged that in several instances, agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and CBI have acted at the behest of the BJP-led government.

"Even the Election Commission has stopped providing information of polling station-wise voting data.

These prove that what Rahul ji is saying, that we are also fighting against the state machinery which is supposed to be neutral, is being used as a political tool by the BJP,” Saikia maintained.