New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI) A political row erupted on Wednesday over the assault on a journalist by supporters of Jharkhand minister Irfan Ansari, with the BJP attacking the Congress and seeking action against him.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla asked whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi or Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren would take action against Ansari, whom he termed a “serial offender”.
Ansari is a senior Congress leader and minister in the Jharkhand government who represents the Jamtara assembly constituency.
According to some media reports, a journalist was allegedly assaulted by Ansari’s supporters for asking “pointed questions” during an interaction in Hazaribagh on Tuesday, prompting opposition leaders to demand action from the Soren-led state government.
Poonawalla alleged that the incident reflects the Congress party’s “dictatorial, Emergency mindset” and accused it of having a history of curbing free speech.
“This is not the first time the Congress has done this to journalists. We have seen what it has done — whether during the Emergency, imposing censorship and putting journalists in prison; curbing the right to free speech through the first amendment; or through anti-media laws during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, including Section 66A and the use of sedition cases against journalists,” he said in a video post on X.
He alleged that in states where Congress is in power, the governments target journalists through legal and other means.
“False cases are being filed against journalists in Telangana and Karnataka. They are being hounded for asking questions, even as we speak. This is the true face of the Congress party,” Poonawalla claimed.
Stepping up his attack, Poonawalla accused the Congress of possessing an “Emergency mindset of Indira Gandhi” while talking about democracy and freedom of speech.
“They talk about democracy, freedom of speech and the Constitution, but they actually have an Emergency mindset of Indira Gandhi. Adolf Hitler would be proud of the kind of acts they do. This is the mindset they show,” he said. PTI ADI RUK RUK
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