A political furore followed Congress leader Pawan Khera’s arrest at Delhi airport on Thursday, after he was deplaned from a flight to Raipur where he was going to attend the party’s plenary session. After its national spokesperson’s arrest, the Congress accused the government of reducing India’s democracy to “Hitlar-shahi” and “dictatorship”.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP shrugged off the criticism, saying the opposition party’s leaders should not live in this misconception that they are above the law.
Khera was arrested by the Assam Police in connection with an FIR over his alleged derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was later released after the Supreme Court provided him relief by granting him interim bail till February 28.
Opposition Targets BJP Govt
▶Lashing out at the BJP-led Central government, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge claimed Khera’s arrest is part of a pattern. “Notice is given to opposition members if they raise issues in Parliament and Enforcement Directorate raids are conducted on our leaders in Chhattisgarh before the plenary session,” he said.
“Today our media chairman (Khera) was forcibly deplaned and arrested. The Modi government has reduced India’s democracy to ‘Hitler-shahi’. We strongly condemn this dictatorship,” Kharge tweeted in Hindi.
▶Congress leader K C Venugopal, who was present with Kheda on the flight when he was deplaned, accused the BJP of targeting the party’s plenary session and asked if India has become a banana republic.
Congress leaders, including Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala and Supriya Shrinate, among others accompanying him to Raipur, also sat on the tarmac in protest and resisted police’s efforts to take Khera away without an arrest warrant.
Condemning the arrest, Venugopal said, “It is totally condemnable the way they are doing these things. We are all going to Raipur for the plenary session, Pawan Khera was also travelling with us, suddenly they deplaned Pawan Khera without any valid reason.”
“After half an hour, the Delhi Police comes and says they have to hand him (Khera) over to Assam Police. We asked if there is an FIR, arrest warrant or any document, but nothing is there, only oral orders,” the Congress’ general secretary in-charge organisation said. How can this happen, has India become a “banana republic”, he asked.
▶Reacting to his colleague’s arrest, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh called it “harassment pure and simple-Modi style.”
▶”We are all on the @IndiGo6E flight 6E 204 to Raipur and all of a sudden my colleague @Pawankhera has been asked to deplane,” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, who was also on the flight, said on Twitter.
“What sort of high handedness is this? Is there any rule of law? On what grounds is this being done and under whose order?” she said.
▶Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also condemned the deplaning of Khera saying it reflects the “frustration” of the BJP.
“Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera was taken off the flight by the Assam Police while going from Delhi to participate in the Raipur Congress session. What was the emergency that the Assam Police came to Delhi and did this?” he said in a tweet.
“First the Enforcement Directorate raids in Raipur and now such an act shows the frustration of the BJP. This is condemnable,” he said.
▶Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also hit out at the BJP-led Union government over Khera’s arrest and called it a conspiracy to disturb the 85th plenary session of the Congress starting in Raipur.
“The BJP-led Centre has been trying to disturb us to ensure the plenary session is not held successfully. Therefore, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at premises of our party leaders (in Raipur on Monday). Yesterday too raids were held at offices of three departments in bid to disturb the state government,” Baghel said.
“Now, our guests are being stopped (from coming to Raipur). Khera ji is our spokesperson and an eminent personality. He is not a criminal. De-boarding him from the flight clearly shows the Bharatiya Janata Party is very scared of the plenary session and is, therefore, trying to disturb it by any means,” the CM asserted.
He said the Congress was united at this juncture and would ensure the plenary session is a grand success.
Queried about the alleged remarks that got Khera in trouble, Baghel said BJP leaders too have used objectionable words and statements against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as well as former prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Baghel said former CM and senior BJP leader Raman Singh had called him a demon once but no action was taken.
▶Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also slammed the BJP, saying this is the way it works as the “ruling party has no faith in law, constitution and democracy”.
It spends so much money on social media to target him, he alleged, noting that a member of his party was arrested for speaking against the BJP.
BJP’s Reaction
▶Meanwhile, the BJP hit back at the Congress for protesting the police action, saying the opposition party’s leaders should not live in this “misconception” that they are above the law and criticised them for their agitation on the Delhi airport tarmac.
“Whatever is done is done lawfully. Congress leaders should not live under this misconception that they are above the law,” BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters.
He said the Congress is playing the “victim card” after using derogatory words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his family members.
The BJP leader said Congress leaders “flouted law” by starting protests on the Delhi airport tarmac and endangered the lives of fellow passengers. People were inconvenienced by the Congress’ protests, he said.
“Modi enjoys the blessings of more than 140 crore people of the country and abusing him is like digging a hole in which the Congress will fall,” Bhatia said. People will teach the Congress a lesson, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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