Congress warns of legal action against BJP leaders for sharing 'misleading' Rahul video, demands apology

Rahul Gandhi also lashed out at the BJP and the RSS, alleging that 'propaganda and lies' are their foundation

A news report misrepresenting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks forgiving SFI activists who targeted his office in Kerala's Wayanad as forgiving those involved in the Udaipur killings were shared by BJP leaders, including party MPs and MLAs, on social media, prompting the Congress to seek an apology from BJP chief J P Nadda.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh shot off a letter to Nadda warning that appropriate legal action would be taken against his party and leaders who "insist and persist in using the social media in such a blatantly irresponsible and criminal manner" if an apology is not issued.

Several BJP leaders, including MP Rajyavardhan Rathore, shared a video clip of Zee News report claiming that Rahul has said that those involved in the Udaipur killings be forgiven. However, Rahul was referring to SFI activists who had targeted his office in Wayanad last month during a protest.

Ramesh said it was appalling to note that several BJP leaders have been "deliberately and enthusiastically sharing mischievous reportage" while the original video showed he was speaking about the Wayanad incident.

"It was immediately brought to the attention of all concerned that the reportage was false and deliberately misleading. In fact, not a single other channel has presented the clip in such a deliberately fabricated and distorted manner," Ramesh said in his letter.

What is of even greater concern, he said that several BJP leaders, including Rajyavardhan Rathore MP, Subrat Pathak MP, Kamlesh Saini MLA, and others, have enthusiastically and without verification published and shared the deliberately fabricated and distorted reportage.

"Despite being cautioned by my party colleagues that the clip was maliciously false and misleading, Rathore persisted with amplifying the same, first deleting and then re-uploading the same. This leaves no doubt that his actions were deliberate and part of your party’s strategy to defame the former Congress president, to defame the Congress party and to further polarise an already sensitive, communal situation," he said.

"The fact that some of your colleagues may have deleted the false reportage later after uploading and sharing is no excuse whatsoever because the damage has already been inflicted," he said.

Ramesh said Congress has already initiated appropriate legal action against the original broadcaster and he expected that Nadda and his party colleagues will cease and desist from spreading such falsehoods.

"Furthermore, I expect that you will immediately issue an appropriate apology on behalf of your colleagues who have acted with such reckless disregard towards the truth. If this apology is not issued today, we will take appropriate legal action against your party and its leaders who insist and persist in using social media in such a blatantly irresponsible and criminal manner," he added.