On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Congress, accusing them of involving in brutality following an allegation by an journalist who claimed to have been assaulted by Rahul Gandhi’s team in the United States. While speaking at an event in election-bound Doda, Jammu & Kashmir, PM Modi also mocked Rahul Gandhi’s “Mohabbat ki dukaan” slogan, questioning the treatment of the journalist in the US.
PM Modi said, ‘They (Congress) claim to be running Mohabbat ki dukaan but a journalist of our country was subjected to cruelty in the USA by Congress. A son of India was insulted in the USA and those who claim to be champions of freedom of speech indulged in brutality’. He said that how the journalist was treated diminished India’s standing on American soil. He also remarked that the Congress is unfit to use the term Constitution, seeking to flip the narrative on the party.
Prime Minister Modi emphasised the role of media as a vital pillar of democracy, questioning whether locking a journalist in a room strengthens democratic values. ‘Is assaulting an Indian journalist on American soil enhancing India’s reputation?, he asked. He added, ‘The word ‘Constitution’ doesn’t suit you, directly criticizing the Congress’.
Last week, a journalist associated with a reputed media group was assaulted by Congress workers in Dallas, Texas, during Rahul Gandhi’s US visit. Journalist Rohit Sharma had gone to Texas to cover Indian Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s visit. During the event, Sharma was harassed by the Congress workers as he raised the question of Hindus killed in Bangladesh at the hands of Islamists after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government there.
As per the media reports, Sharma approached the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) Sam Pitroda for an exclusive interview hours before Gandhi was scheduled to arrive at the DFW International Airport. The entire interview went well until the last question posed by the journalist. As the interview drew closer to the conclusion, Sharma asked, ‘Will Rahul Gandhi raise the issue of Hindus being killed in Bangladesh during his meetings with US lawmakers?” Before Pitroda could give answer to the question, other 20-30 close associates and supporters of Congress and Rahul Gandhi who were present during the interview started creating chaos saying that the question asked by Sharma was ‘controversial’.
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