Tripura Congress files FIR against three BJP leaders and Shiv Sena MLA for defaming Rahul Gandhi

Tripura Congress President Asish Kumar Saha on Wednesday filed an FIR against Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad and three BJP leaders, including Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu, for insulting and defaming All India Congress Committee (AICC) leader Rahul Gandhi.

Saha filed the FIR with the West Agartala Police Station on Wednesday.

The FIR copy which is available with India Today NE reads has been filed against Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, former BJP MLA Tarvinder Singh, and Uttar Pradesh Minister Raghuraj Singh. 

In his complaint, Saha alleged that Sanjay Gaikwad, an MLA in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, made a public statement on September 16 calling for Rahul Gandhi's tongue to be cut off, offering a reward of Rs. 11 lakhs to anyone who could do so. This statement, Saha noted, was widely published by both national and state-level media outlets.

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"The statement was made with the intention of harming and defaming Rahul Gandhi, as well as the Indian National Congress Party. It amounts to criminal intimidation, punishable by law. The defamatory remarks have severely damaged the reputation of Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Congress," the FIR reads.

Saha further stated that Ravneet Singh Bittu, MoS, insulted Rahul Gandhi by calling him an "extremist" and accusing him of being "not Indian" and the "No. 1 enemy of India." These comments, Saha alleged, were made with the intent to provoke public hatred, and could incite enmity between different regional, racial, and community groups.

According to the FIR, Tarvinder Singh, a former BJP MLA from Delhi, and Raghuraj Singh, a minister in Uttar Pradesh, also made similar defamatory remarks against Rahul Gandhi.
Saha emphasized that the comments by the accused were false and made with malicious intent. He invoked the memory of Rahul Gandhi's grandmother, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and his father, the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, both of whom were martyred for the cause of India's integrity and sovereignty.

"The allegations made by these individuals are baseless, and their actions have deeply hurt Congress workers and supporters across the country. I urge the authorities to investigate this complaint thoroughly and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice," Saha added in his complaint.