New Delhi, Feb 12: Following court summons to Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over alleged defamatory remarks against the Indian Army, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari on Wednesday blamed it on the BJP and described it as later’s ‘dirty trick’ to target the Opposition.
He said that the BJP was frightened and panicked over the growing popularity of Rahul Gandhi and hence deployed its ‘dirty tricks’ department to defame him. Speaking to IANS, Tiwari said, “This is BJP’s dirty trick to target our top leadership, whom they fear the most.
They struggled in the last elections because of him. They want to keep Rahul Gandhi entangled in legal battles in some way or another. But we stand by justice and firmly uphold what has been said. We are confident that the court will deliver justice, and the allegations against him will be proven false.”
The case stems from a statement made by Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022. He had remarked that “Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh,” a comment aimed at criticising government’s handling of border tensions with China. The statement drew sharp backlash, with many accusing him of being “anti-national.”
Uday Shankar Srivastava, former director of the Border Roads Organisation, filed a complaint against Gandhi, stating that the remarks were defamatory and deeply hurt the sentiments of armed forces. Based on this, the court registered a defamation case and issued the summons.
Pramod Tiwari also commented on the demise of Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of Ayodhya Ram temple. “Acharya Satyendra Das had been associated with the temple since the beginning of the dispute. He continued to perform worship even then, living in a small room. He spent his entire life with great simplicity. When the new temple was built following the Supreme Court’s order, he continued in his role. People deeply respected his simplicity, dedication, and devotion to worship. I humbly pay my tribute to him,” said Tiwari. –IANS rs/mr