Under Cong pressure, police registers FIR against Union minister Bittu for ‘terrorist’ comment against RaGa

Bhopal: A state Congress delegation led by PCC chief Jitu Patwari reached the TT Nagar police station on Tuesday evening and demanded the registration of an FIR against Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Singh, and Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad for their recent comments against Lok Sabha LOP Rahul Gandhi. Bittu had called Rahul Gandhi “the number one terrorist of India”.

After much altercation between the Congress and the local police, which stretched for four hours, an FIR was registered. State Congress president Jitu Patwari threatened the police that his party workers and senior functionaries would not leave the police station premises till an FIR was lodged against the Union minister and others.

The Congress is peeved after Union minister Bittu’s recent controversial comment on Rahul Gandhi, calling him “the number one terrorist of India”. Ravneet Bittu had alleged that Rahul Gandhi is the biggest enemy of the country and “the agencies should keep surveillance on him (Rahul Gandhi).”

Bittu had also claimed that Rahul Gandhi is not an Indian because he spent most of his life outside the country.

Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Singh and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad have made similar comments on the Gandhi scion. Gaikwad announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh to chop off Rahul Gandhi’s tongue.

During the back and forth between the Congress netas and the police, party workers stood outside and inside the police station, shouting slogans of “Rahul Gandhi zindabad”.

Speaking to reporters, Patwari said, “Leaders like Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Raghuraj Singh, and Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad have made extremely objectionable comments against people’s leader Rahul Gandhi. When any minister, holding a constitutional post, makes a public statement, it becomes the collective responsibility of the entire cabinet. This means that Ravneet Singh Bittu’s comments are in the knowledge of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Such comments against Rahul Gandhi are aimed at creating an atmosphere of anarchy in the country. A minister from Uttar Pradesh and an MLA from Maharashtra also made objectionable comments. Rahul Gandhi has been raising the issue that freedom of speech is in danger, the Constitution is in danger. And these comments reveal exactly that. Previously, the BJP used to spend crores of rupees to target him on social media. Now the attack is direct. And when we come to the police station to report, it seems like we have come to the BJP mandal president’s office. It looks as though the BJP mandal president is sitting as the TI (town inspector).”

State BJP president VD Sharma countered, “Who has the time to comment on Rahul Gandhi every day? But if someone feels happy by defaming the country abroad, then not just BJP leaders but the entire society is commenting on it. How many people will Jitu Patwari register FIR on? He should talk to his leader about his statements outside the country. He (Rahul Gandhi) does not know the culture of the land and keeps defaming the nation. The matter is not about the defamation of the BJP, rather it is the dishonour of the 140 crore Indians abroad. Will he register FIR on all 140 crore Indians? Jitu Patwari wants to flatter his leader.”

Patwari argued that Rahul Gandhi is holding an important constitutional post as the LOP in the Lok Sabha. “Such baseless rants against him are indecent and unruly. Calling Mr Rahul Gandhi a terrorist and threatening to cut his tongue by a minister is an undemocratic and criminal act. The entire Congress party is outraged by such statements made by BJP leaders. If action is not taken against these leaders, the Congress will take to the streets and launch a big mass movement against the BJP,” the state PCC chief argued.

The Congress delegation, including former ministers Vijaylaxmi Sadho and PC Sharma, MLAs, former MLAs, and office-bearers, sat in the TT Nagar police station for hours till the police officers finally gave in.

“We had to sit for hours to register an FIR because there were orders from the govt not to file it. We were showing the police the video evidence of what these BJP men said and yet they would not register the FIR,” Patwari alleged. “The Congress party has come to the police station for that man who walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to spread love and end hatred. His father was martyred to keep the country united and his grandmother’s body was sprayed with bullets. The kind of language being used by BJP ministers shows that they have no constitutional or democratic values in them,” he said.

Courtesy : TOI

Note: This news is originally published in timesofindia.com and was used solely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights