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The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress engaged in a war of words on Monday as Rahul Gandhi is set to file an appeal in a court against his conviction in a criminal defamation case.
The BJP termed as “drama” and an attempt to put “pressure” on the judiciary by Rahul Gandhi ahead of the Congress leader’s appeal of the Surat court’s order on a 2019 defamation case related to the ‘Modi surname’ remark.
“They (Congress) are doing a drama to threaten the judiciary. I condemn it. If a court has convicted somebody, then the drama is basically about pressuring. Congress party considers a family above the country…” Union law minister Kiren Rijiju told reporters outside Parliament.
Earlier in a tweet, Rijiju said, “Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama.”
The union minister added, “What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court. All courts in the country are immune from such tactics.”
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to hit back at Rijiju, saying, “The man who threatens the judiciary, judges and ex-judges daily and also distorts history daily talking. Hypocrisy ki koi seema nahin hai Modi Kaal mein (There is no limit to hypocracy in Modi’s rule).”
Rijiju said when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) takes action, Congress leaders want to gherao the agency’s office. “When the CBI takes action, they want to gherao the CBI. When a court gives a verdict, they want to take over the court complexes. These kind of activities demean democracy and every Indian must condemn it,” he told reporters.
Union minister Anurag Thakur also hit out at the Congress. “India won’t tolerate the insult of backwards…Earlier, PV Narasimha Rao, P Chidambaram, DK Shivakumar went to jail too, how many Congress people went with them? Is one family bigger than the country?” Thakur asked.
His remarks came as Rahul Gandhi embarked for Surat from Delhi and is expected to reach court around 3pm and file an appeal against his conviction. The Congress expects that the court will take up the matter on Monday itself. The Congress leader is accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other top leaders.
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi going with his family to the court is a repeat of the Congress leader’s insult of the OBC community and will add to it.
Patra alleged that the group of Congress leaders including the chief ministers of some Congress-ruled states, who are accompanying Gandhi will create “mayhem” in the name of appealing against the lower court’s order convicting the former Waynand MP in the 2019 criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark.
“Rahul Gandhi, his family members, CMs Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel are going to Surat and will be creating mayhem in the name of appealing (against the two-year sentence) verdict. What’s the need for this ruckus?” Patra said in a press conference.
Patra also asked if the Congress leaders who will accompany Rahul Gandhi for the appeal want to “pressurise” the judiciary.
Reacting to Patra’s statement, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said “they are chief ministers of their respective states” and accusing them of causing “mayhem” in Surat “is a bit rich”.
“BTW, havoc is what your unconstitutional government is unleashing in Maharashtra. How can judiciary be under pressure if the appeal is under legally applicable rules?” she tweeted.
Congress claims ‘illegal arrests’
The Congress alleged that “illegal arrests” were being made to prevent party leaders and workers from going to Surat.
In a tweet in Hindi, Ramesh said, “There are continuous reports of illegal arrests by the BJP government in Gujarat to prevent Congress leaders and workers from going to Surat.”
“The undemocratic face of BJP is being exposed again and again,” he said.
The Congress condemns all these activities and demands their immediate release, Ramesh added.
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