FIR against Rahul Gandhi in U’khand politically motivated, says Priyank Kharge; Cong leaders condemn move

New Delhi: Congress leaders on Tuesday hit out at the Uttarakhand government over an FIR registered against Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the action was politically motivated and aimed at intimidating the Congress.

An FIR has been registered against Congress MP and LoP Rahul Gandhi at the Kotwali police station in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. The case was filed following his remarks concerning a “purification ritual” conducted at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani following a rally by Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge.

LoP Gandhi had called the incident a crime and demanded that the Centre must register an FIR.

Reacting to the development of an FIR being filed against LoP Gandhi in Uttarakhand, Punjab Congress Committee Working President, Raj Kumar Verka, accused the authorities of attempting to intimidate the Congress.

“I think they are trying to intimidate the Congress, but the Congress is not afraid.. It is their agenda to end the Constitution of the country and bring Manusmriti. This is not going to happen. We will not tolerate this…” Verka told IANS.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said the FIR should instead have been filed against those who carried out the alleged purification exercise.

“It’s all politically motivated. Instead of filing an FIR against the people who carried out the purification exercise and went around the entire town, shouting from the rooftops that they had purified the place because a Dalit leader had spoken there, you are filing a case against a person who called out this illegal act and questioned how the Constitution is being breached,” Kharge said in Bidar, Karnataka.

In Patna, Bihar Minister Kumar Shailendra accused the Opposition of lacking an agenda and said Rahul Gandhi was its “main face”.

“We are talking about the entire Opposition, with Rahul Gandhi being the main face of it. They have no agenda and no inclination to work. They have done such things in the past as well. When the House is in session and so much time and resources are invested, they walk out, and when they don’t want the House to function, they demand a special session…” he said.

Meanwhile, Haryana Congress MP Karamvir Singh Boudh criticised the FIR, saying the country would be governed by the Constitution and not Manusmriti.

“…The country will be governed by the Constitution, not Manusmriti. Today, when a senior leader comes forward to raise his voice for the poor, Dalits, Backward Classes, tribals and women, highlighting the atrocities, discrimination and untouchability they have faced for centuries you file an FIR. You conduct a purification ritual two days after an event in Haldwani following a rally by our respected party president Mallikarjun Kharge at Ramlila Ground. When a senior leader raises the issue of the humiliation of Dalits, you want to stop him by filing an FIR. This is absolutely unacceptable…” Boudh said.

Haryana Leader of the Opposition Bhupendra Singh Hooda said neither LoP Gandhi nor Congress leaders were afraid of the FIR.

“We are not afraid of such things. Neither Rahul Gandhi nor we are afraid. Rahul Gandhi had demanded that an FIR be filed over what happened in Haldwani, where our National President Kharge ji held a public meeting and some BJP workers carried out a purification ritual. It was a legitimate demand because the Constitution should not be violated. But instead, they filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi…” Hooda said.

The FIR against LoP Gandhi was registered at Haldwani Kotwali over his remarks on the “purification ritual”.

IANS