Case Against Congress Leaders Over Alleged "Pro-Pak" Slogans In Bharat Jodo Yatra

BJP leaders on Sunday registered a case against Madhya Pradesh Congress Media Department Head Piyush Babele and IT Head Abhay Tiwari over the alleged 'pro-Pakistan' slogans raised during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh.

In the complaint made by the party's state spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi and state co-media in-charge Narendra Shivaji Patel to the Crime Branch, it stated that Congress' Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Kamal Nath, and the entire Congress party have organized anti-national-activities-in the country under the guise of Bharat Jodo Yatra. The BJP leaders alleged that slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' are being raised in the yatra to disturb the peace of the country.

Earlier, on Friday Advocate Ankit Mishra, a Chhattisgarh Congress functionary registered an FIR at Civil Line Police Station, Raipur against Madhya Pradesh BJP leader Lokesh Parashar for sharing a purported video of 'pro-Pakistan' slogans raised during Madhya Pradesh's leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Ankit Mishra in his report claimed that the said video is doctored and hurting people's sentiments, against Lokendra Parashar, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party Media Cell head of the Madhya Pradesh Unit.

Lokendra Parashar, BJP Media Incharge in Madhya Pradesh on November 25 tweeted a purported video, of allegedly pro-Pakistan slogans raised during Madhya Pradesh's leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra, from his official handle.

"Advocate Ankit Mishra, belonging to the legal department of the Congress, lodged a report in Police Station Civil Lines claiming that a video was tweeted during Madhya Pradesh's leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra. A case has been registered under IPC 153-A, 120-B, and other relevant sections," Virendra Chaturvedi, Civil Line CSP said.

"This has hurt the sentiments of the people," he quoted the complainant as saying.

Earlier on November 26, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders alleged participants in Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra shouted slogans of 'Pakistan Zindabad' in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh.

A controversy erupted after BJP state president VD Sharma and other party leaders posted a purported video of the yatra on social media claiming that 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans were raised at the rally.

However, Congress Party denied the claims, calling it a conspiracy by the BJP to defame Rahul Gandhi.

However, Congress Party leader Dhananjay Thakur claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party is spreading fake news as the party feared by the public response Bharat Jodo Yatra is receiving.

"Bharat Jodo Yatra has reached Madhya Pradesh, where it is getting good support from the public. Fearing this, the BJP, whose habit is to create sensationalism by making fake videos and telling lies, had circulated a fabricated video against which an FIR has been lodged in Chhattisgarh," Dhananjay Thakur told ANI.

Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo entered Madhya Pradesh on its 77th day of the Padyatra on November 23.

Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, will cover a further distance of 2,355 km in its 3,570-km march. It will end in Kashmir next year. It is the longest march on foot by any Indian politician in the history of India, the Congress claimed earlier in a statement. Bharat Jodo Yatra is getting support from various political parties and social organizations across the country and the response is increasing day by day.

Notably, all the party MPs, leaders and workers, along with Rahul Gandhi, are staying in containers. Sleeping beds, toilets and ACs are also installed in some of the containers. The arrangements have been made keeping in view the intense heat and humidity with the change of places. The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)