Calling thief, a thief has become crime under BJP rule in India: Patil

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 2: Senior All India Congress Committee leader and In-charge J&K affairs of the Party, Rajni Patil today said that calling thief, a thief has become a crime in our country. While the thieves and looters are moving free, Rahul Gandhi has been punished.
Talking to media-persons after arriving from New Delhi here this evening, Patil said one can not say thief, to a thief under BJP regime. It is a crime in our country now. No body is allowed to speak the truth.
“They don’t want MPs who speak the truth. But we will continue to stand for the truth. We’ll continue to demand a JPC (in the Hindenburg-Adani row) and will even go to jail to save constitution,” Patil said.
AICC leader said that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification is “an attack” on progressive democratic forces. This intimidating tone of action appears to send a message across that even the leader of the national political party and MP does not have the democratic right to express his opinion. She said the action against Rahul Gandhi showed the extent to which the BJP leadership is scared of Rahul Gandhi.
Patil observed that this is due to the huge impact Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra created among the people. The Centre is unable to reply to the issues raised by Gandhi in Parliament. They disqualified him fearing that his continued presence in Parliament would cause a political crisis for the BJP, she claimed.
“Through the action, the BJP had lost the right to utter the word democracy,” she said, adding that it was not befitting of the Central government to remain silent on questions raised in Parliament.
Denouncing the action against Gandhi she said it was akin to fascist rule. “It is a repressive action indicating that no one in the country should criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” she said, condemning the BJP government at the Centre “for the murder of democracy.”
“It was also intended to divert the attention of the people from the BBC documentary on Modi and the Hindenburg report on Adani,” she claimed.
Alleging that the BJP through such an action aimed to seek political mileage in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, she appealed to all democratic forces to raise their voices strongly against this retaliatory action of the Modi Government.
“Our voices will only become louder and our bond against forces that disrespect the tenets of democracy will only become stronger, we stand with him,” Patil added.
Condemning the disqualification of his party leader, Patil appealed to her party members to gear up to make a sacrifice for Rahul Gandhi by defeating the designs of the BJP. The Congress will definitely win the fight against the dictatorial rule to prove that dharma will win, she said.
Those who want the nation destroyed can stay with the BJP while those who want to save it from ruin must leave,” Patil said.
“Now the people of the country will have to come forward and fight this undemocratic regime. If we want to save the country, 130 crore Indians will have to come forward and lead the fight. It does not matter which party comes to power. What is of concern is the way our democracy is being tarnished and attacked,” Patil maintained. .
Earlier, JKPCC president Vikar Rasool Wani, working president, Raman Bhalla, former minister Yogesh Sawhney along with other Congress leaders today accorded warm welcome to AICC Incharge for J&K Rajni Patil, AICC joint secretary, Manoj Yadav at Jammu Airport on their three day J&K visit.