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.
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.”
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.
With inputs from News18
