NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, GUWAHATI, APRIL 21
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, termed as “undemocratic” and “unconstitutional” the arrest of Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot imprison the truth by trying to “crush” dissent.
Mevani was arrested by the Assam Police from Palanpur town in Gujarat on Wednesday night over a tweet and taken to Assam by air in the early hours, officials said.
Flaying the arrest of Mevani, Gandhi said it is an insult to the people who elected him as a public representative.
“Modi ji, you can try to crush dissent by abusing the state machinery. But you can never imprison the truth,” Gandhi said on Twitter, using hashtag “#DaroMat” and “#SatyamevaJayate”.
He tagged a report saying that Assam Police has taken Mevani into custody over his tweets on Prime Minister Modi.
“The undemocratic manner in which Assam Police has detained Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, is anti constitutional move and an insult to the people who have elected him as a public representative. Congress workers will raise their voice against oppression,” the Congress said on its official Twitter handle in Hindi.
Congress leader KC Venugopal also dubbed Mevani’s arrest as unlawful and unconstitutional and alleged authoritarianism by the BJP.
“The unlawful and unconstitutional arrest of Jignesh Mevani at midnight by Assam Police is the latest proof of authoritarianism under BJP. Such an arrest of a people’s representative not only betrays their fear of criticism but also attacks the foundations of our democracy,” he said in a tweet.
According to a document shared by officials of the Assam Police, an FIR has been lodged over a tweet by Mevani few days back. However, the tweet has been withheld by Twitter. It was about Nathuram Godse.
Mevani is an independent MLA from Vadgam seat in Gujarat’s Banaskantha. He recently joined the Congress.
Assam CM claims he does not know who Jignesh Mevani is
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Thursday, claimed that he was not aware of Jignesh Mevani’s identity, hours after the MLA, arrested over a purported tweet, was brought to the northeastern state from Gujarat.
The state Congress unit, however, smelt a conspiracy behind the arrest and rushed legal experts to the aid of the apprehended Dalit leader, who recently pledged his support to the grand old party.
Sarma, responding to a reporter’s query on the sidelines of a programme, claimed that he was not aware of who Mevani was.
“I don’t know. Who is he?” Sarma sought to know when asked for his reaction to the arrest.
“I am not aware,” the chief minister said.
Mevani was apprehended from Palanpur town in Gujarat on Wednesday night after a FIR under various sections of the IPC and the IT Act was filed in Kokrajhar Police Station.
He was flown to Guwahati from Gujarat on Thursday morning and then taken to Korajhar by road.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Borah, criticising the police action, alleged that it smacked of conspiracy.
“Police did not give details of the FIR based on which Mevani was arrested. Mevani has always been vocal against the BJP and the RSS,” he had said, shortly after the arrest.
Borah also maintained that people of Assam were suffering from insecurity due to rising cases of murders, dacoity and other crimes, but the state’s police force is more focused on dealing with a simple tweet rather than protecting its citizens.
APCC chief spokesperson Manjit Mahanta said that the party deputed a team of legal experts to help Mevani.
“Our legal team has already reached Kokrajhar. It will help Mevani to procure bail and also provide any other legal assistance that he may need,” the spokesperson stated.
Mahanta also said the Congress would build up a movement against the government if Mevani was not released on bail.
“We will wait for two days owing to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation elections (to be held on Friday). If Mevani is not given bail in the meantime, we will start a movement.”
According to the FIR that led to Mevani’s apprehension, he had purportedly written a tweet, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “considered Godse as God”.
The independent MLA from Vadgam seat in Banaskantha had used the same tweet to also urge Modi to appeal for communal harmony during his visit to the Gujarat, the FIR at Kokrajhar Police Station, which was accessed by PTI, the premier news agency, said.
