FIR against Amit Malviya over tweet against Rahul Gandhi

An FIR has been filed against BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya for tweeting against Rahul Gandhi and circulating a video on it on his Twitter account.

The case has been registered under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between two communities or groups), 120b (Criminal Conspiracy), 505(2), and 34 of the IPC in Bengaluru's High Grounds Police Station, following a complaint from Congress leader Ramesh Babu. 

The FIR copy reads, "Congress leader Ramesh Babu has lodged a complaint against Amit Malviya stating that he has insulted Rahul Gandhi and linked him to having affiliations with foreign media and spoiling India's name on foreign soil."

The tweet has also been mentioned, which reads: "(Rahul Gandhi is dangerous and is playing an insidious game... More dangerous are people who are pulling strings of #Raga like Sam P, staunchly anti-India; they leave no stone unturned to defame India overseas just to embarrass Honourable PM @NarendraModi ji). There was also a video tweeted on this that says that Congress is against the Hindus, which is not right."

Congress leader slams BJP

The Congress leaders reacting to this have said that law will take its own course. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, "This BJP is a WhatsApp University. Their duty is to spread fake news from morning to evening. What Priyank has done is right. Let them not spread fake news, and it's correct to file a FIR."

Adding to this, Minister Eshwar Khandre said, "BJP is spreading all sorts of lies, and therefore a FIR has been filed. The law will take its own course."

Minister Satish Jarkiholi said, "Once an FIR is filed, our duty is over, and the police need to do the rest. It is the duty of the police to verify whether fake videos are being circulated. Everybody has the right to go in accordance with the law. It depends on the seriousness of the allegation."

BJP retorts to the allegations 

The BJP in the state has hit back at the Congress, claiming vendetta politics and crying foul over the entire issue. BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi, speaking to Republic, said, "They could have filed a defamation case, but no, they have filed a criminal conspiracy case. Is Amit Malviya a criminal? Rahul Gandhi is stating that there is no democracy in India outside of India and insulting the nation. Tanjim Ansari, who organised Rahul Gandhi's programme, is associated with the Islamic Circle of North America, which is part of Jamat-E-Islami Pakistan. Another person is Mohammed Aslam, a member of the Muslim Centre for Greater Princeton, an organisation that is a part of ICNA, which SIMI is also part of. This is the politics of hate by the Congress against the BJP, and in the name of Mohabbat Ki Dukhan, he's spreading hate against the country."

The BJP and the Congress have intensified their fight against each other over the issue, but questions are also being raised as to why the case was filed in Karnataka, where the Congress government is in power.