Karnataka: The Congress has filed a case against BJP leader and the party's IT Cell head Amit Malviya in Bengaluru over a tweet mocking Rahul Gandhi.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee member Ramesh Babu filed the complaint after Amit Malviya retweeted an animated video on June 17 intended to malign Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.
Malviya has been booked under sections 153(A), 120(B), 505(2) and 34 of the IPC which pertain to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, and conspiracy at the High Grounds Police Station.
Soon after the FIR was registered, Malviya reposted the same tweet with a caption in Hindi, Rahul Gandhi Videshi Taaqaton ka Mohra (Rahul Gandhi a pawn of foreign forces).
Congress leader Pawan Khera called for more such FIRs to be registered against Amit Malviya. "If anyone is responsible for playing with truth, facts, people's images and country's reputation, it is the BJP IT cell," he said during a press conference.
Meanwhile, Tejasvi Surya, BJP MP for Bengaluru South, called the case 'politically motivated' and said the party would challenge the case in court and ensure justice.
"The FIR filed against Amit Malviya is politically motivated. Plain and simple. Case is registered under 153A and 505(2) of IPC for his alleged statement against Rahul Gandhi. Both the above sections deal with promoting enmity between groups. So, what is Rahul Gandhi? An individual or a group or a class? We will challenge this in the court & ensure justice," his tweet read.
However, Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge said the FIR has been filed after seeking expert legal opinion. Talking to the media, he said: "Whenever BJP bears the brunt of the law, they cry. They have a problem following the law of the land. I want to ask the BJP which part of the FIR has been filed with a mala fide intention. We have done it after taking legal opinion."
