New Delhi: Union Law minister Kiren Rijiju's comment that some retired judges in the country are part of the anti-India gang was slammed by many, including Opposition leaders, The Indian Express reported.
Congress party's general secretary of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said that Rijiju, who is a mister of justice, was propagating injustice and talking like an outlaw.
"If this is not a threat to freedom AFTER speech, what is?" he tweeted.
Trinamool Congress MP Jawhar Sircar said that a minister must not make such a statement and get away. He should threaten, judges will have to 'pay a price', he said. "RSS didn't participate in Freedom Struggle. and Hindu Mahasabha supported British. Don't give us pro-India, anti-India gyan!" TIE quoted the leader.
CPI(M) leader and former Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac noted that the minister was threatening judges saying that "anyone against nation will pay". He wondered whether he was the minister for law or lawlessness.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj demanded that Rijiju must apologise for saying judges anti-India, which was shameful. He said that the minister must not cross the 'Lakshman Rekha'. He added that today people only have faith in Supreme Court, and the country is proud of the institution.
More important individuals like the senior lawyer and Rajya Sabha MP Kabil Sibal, advocate Prashant Bhushan and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut etc., surfaced with criticism against the law minister. They alleged that the law minister was threatening the judiciary and attempting to put pressure on it.
At the India Today conclave on Saturday, Kiren Rijiju wondered how a seminar on accountability of judges turned into how the executive is affecting the judiciary. He said that there are a few judges who are activists and are part of an anti-India gang which is trying to turn the judiciary against the government. To impress the BJP-led Centre's narrative, the law minister repeated the "tukde tukde gang" phrase too.