BJP, RSS demand Tushar Gandhi's arrest over remarks
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Thiruvananthapuram: Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, has refused to retract or apologise for his statements criticising the RSS and BJP. This comes after the two organisations demanded his arrest for his remarks.
Gandhi, during the recent unveiling of a statue of the late Gandhian P. Gopinathan Nair at Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram, had referred to the BJP and RSS as "dangerous and insidious enemies" who have entered Kerala.
He had also termed the RSS as "poison," following which BJP-RSS workers shouted slogans and blocked his car.
Speaking at an event in Aluva near Kochi, Gandhi stood firm, saying he doesn't believe in taking back his words.
"What this incident has done is strengthen my resolve to continue to expose the traitors. This is a fight that is even more essential than the freedom fight. We have a common enemy now, the Sangh. They must be exposed," he said.
He also said that he was worried that "the descendants of my great-grandfather's murderers" would go to Mahatma Gandhi's statue and fire bullets at it "as they are habituated to do."
The BJP has fired back at Tushar Gandhi, saying he's only notable because he was born a descendant of Mahatma Gandhi "by default" and has been trying to profit from his great-grandfather's name.
Former Union Minister of State and BJP leader V. Muraleedharan alleged that Tushar Gandhi has been trying to "monetise" Mahatma Gandhi's name for several years.
Muraleedharan criticised Tushar Gandhi, saying that having the Gandhi name doesn't automatically grant him the same respect as Mahatma Gandhi. Speaking at a BJP protest against Tushar Gandhi at Neyyattinkara, Muraleedharan questioned whether the organisers of a statue unveiling event were aware of Tushar Gandhi's background when they invited him.
He demanded that Tushar Gandhi be arrested for his statements based on the BJP's complaint.
Muraleedharan also criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan government for arresting five RSS-BJP workers who raised slogans against Tushar Gandhi.
A case was registered against the five people under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 190, and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of unlawful assembly, rioting, and wrongful restraint.
A group of people allegedly linked to the Sangh Parivar raised slogans against Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, at an event in Neyyattinkara on Wednesday evening.
Pinarayi Vijayan strongly condemned the incident, calling it a "Sangh Parivar attack" and stating that suppressing freedom of expression is unacceptable in a democratic society.
(inputs from PTI)