Jai Ram Thakur accuses the Himachal Congress government of political vendetta following an FIR against BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, arguing that the action suppresses freedom of expression in the state and targets those with differing opinions.
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 14 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday accused the Congress government in the state of indulging in a political vendetta by registering an FIR against BJP MP Kangana Ranaut over her social media remarks concerning Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the Gandhi family.
Speaking with ANI in Shimla, Thakur alleged that the state government had developed a tendency to register FIRs against people expressing their views on social media, claiming that several journalists and individuals had faced similar action in recent months. “Kangana Ranaut has expressed her views through her social media handle. Those may be her personal views, but everyone has the right to express their opinions in a democracy. However, the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh appears to have made it a practice to immediately register FIRs whenever something is posted on social media,” Thakur said.
He alleged that the FIR against Ranaut reflected political vendetta and questioned whether the government believed that registering criminal cases could suppress people’s voices. “Whether it is media persons or individuals expressing their opinions on social media, several FIRs have been registered against them. The Congress government’s approach of repeatedly filing FIRs reflects a sense of political vendetta. It appears that they believe they can restrict freedom of expression and silence voices in a democracy through such action,” he said.
Responding to a question about the controversy surrounding a book on Sonia Gandhi and Ranaut’s November 10 social media posts describing her as a “mysterious foreign woman”, Thakur said several questions had been raised about the factual accuracy of the book. “Several people have raised questions about the book on Sonia Gandhi. Many facts have allegedly been distorted and are not based on the truth. India Today has reportedly pointed out more than 55 factual errors in it. Overall, it appears that the book is aimed at achieving political gains and establishing Rahul Gandhi politically, an effort that has not succeeded for a long time,” he said.
Thakur added that the questions surrounding the book and its factual claims needed to be answered by those associated with it. The FIR against Ranaut was registered by Shimla Police under Sections 196, 353 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, following a complaint submitted by Shimla resident Captain Atul Sharma to the Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, on November 12. The complaint concerns a series of posts published on November 10 from Ranaut’s verified X account, accompanying an archival video featuring members of the Gandhi family. The complainant alleged that the posts contained objectionable insinuations concerning the deaths of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, as well as Sanjay Gandhi, and the subsequent political rise of Sonia Gandhi. The three BNS provisions invoked in the FIR relate to promoting enmity and acts prejudicial to communal harmony, statements and circulation of information that may cause public mischief, and defamation. (ANI)