<p>The registration of cases of sedition against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and journalists for their posts during farmers' tractor rally on Republic Day was raised in Rajya Sabha by MPs including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Azad raised the issue during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.</p>.<p>"Shashi Tharoor was Minister of State for external affairs. He has represented the country outside. How can he be an anti-national...then we all are anti-nationals," he said as he demanded withdrawal of sedition cases against him and journalists in the interest of democracy.</p>.<p><strong>Also read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/shashi-tharoor-rajdeep-sardesai-move-sc-against-firs-over-republic-day-tweets-946916.html" target="_blank">Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeep Sardesai move SC against FIRs over Republic Day tweets</a></strong></p>.<p>CPI(M) Parliamentary Party Leader Elamaram Kareem also raised the issue also used the debate to raise the issue.</p>.<p>"Such efforts to intimidate and terrorise journalists have been going on for some time in many cases. But since January 28, FIRs have been filed against nine Indian journalists on charges of sedition and nine other provisions of law, including promoting communal disharmony, insulting religious beliefs, assertions prejudicial to national integration etc," he said.</p>.<p>"Reputed senior journalists and an MP like Shashi Tharoor have been slapped with these charges on the basis of their personal tweets on social media. This is reprehensible and smacks of efforts to browbeat, intimidate and harass the media," Kareem said.</p>.<p>Earlier during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Congress' Digvijay Singh said FIRs had been filed against politicians, journalists and civil society activists under felonious sections in the past few days.</p>.<p>"Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor and journalists Rajdeep Sardesai, Mrinal Pande, Mandeep Punia and several others have been charged with sedition on the basis of one person's complaint," Singh said.</p>.<p>"Sedition is a colonial law that British used to jail freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Ashfaqulla Khan. On the basis of similar worked complaints with identical content, FIRs have been registered in different police stations in three states," he said. The plan is to to "intimidate independent journalism and free voice. We condemn this." he added</p>
<p>The registration of cases of sedition against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and journalists for their posts during farmers' tractor rally on Republic Day was raised in Rajya Sabha by MPs including Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Azad raised the issue during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.</p>.<p>"Shashi Tharoor was Minister of State for external affairs. He has represented the country outside. How can he be an anti-national...then we all are anti-nationals," he said as he demanded withdrawal of sedition cases against him and journalists in the interest of democracy.</p>.<p><strong>Also read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/shashi-tharoor-rajdeep-sardesai-move-sc-against-firs-over-republic-day-tweets-946916.html" target="_blank">Shashi Tharoor, Rajdeep Sardesai move SC against FIRs over Republic Day tweets</a></strong></p>.<p>CPI(M) Parliamentary Party Leader Elamaram Kareem also raised the issue also used the debate to raise the issue.</p>.<p>"Such efforts to intimidate and terrorise journalists have been going on for some time in many cases. But since January 28, FIRs have been filed against nine Indian journalists on charges of sedition and nine other provisions of law, including promoting communal disharmony, insulting religious beliefs, assertions prejudicial to national integration etc," he said.</p>.<p>"Reputed senior journalists and an MP like Shashi Tharoor have been slapped with these charges on the basis of their personal tweets on social media. This is reprehensible and smacks of efforts to browbeat, intimidate and harass the media," Kareem said.</p>.<p>Earlier during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Congress' Digvijay Singh said FIRs had been filed against politicians, journalists and civil society activists under felonious sections in the past few days.</p>.<p>"Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor and journalists Rajdeep Sardesai, Mrinal Pande, Mandeep Punia and several others have been charged with sedition on the basis of one person's complaint," Singh said.</p>.<p>"Sedition is a colonial law that British used to jail freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Ashfaqulla Khan. On the basis of similar worked complaints with identical content, FIRs have been registered in different police stations in three states," he said. The plan is to to "intimidate independent journalism and free voice. We condemn this." he added</p>
