BJP's Nadda slams Uddhav govt; calls Maharashtra 'laboratory for use of brute state power'

Amid the Param Bir Singh-led Mumbai Police's unmitigated witch-hunt against the Republic Media Network, BJP National President JP Nadda slammed the Maharashtra government for the 'brute usage of power' in their attempt to muzzle the freedom of speech and called it the 'trademark Congress style'. 

JP Nadda launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government, stressing that the Congress could never 'pontificate' on freedom of speech as they have 'contempt for dissenting voices'. Taking on the Congress, JP Nadda highlighted that a free press always rattled Congress and went on to cite the treatment meted out to the press during the Emergency in Indira Gandhi's rule and the 'brazen attempts' made by Rajiv Gandhi to silence the free media. 

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The BJP National President pointed out that the Maharashtra government was doing everything apart from governing the state and pointed out that if anyone wished to witness 'laboratory use' of state power, troubling the opponents, curbing freedom of speech should observe the situation in the congress-ruled state of Maharashtra. 

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Witch-hunt against Republic Media Network

Republic employees have been questioned for over 150 hours by the Mumbai police as part of an egregious roving-and-fishing inquiry that has moved beyond the TRP case, in this brazen attack on freedom of the press. Arnab Goswami has been questioned for 20 hours, Niranjan Narayanaswamy for 20 hours, Senior Executive Editor Abhishek Kapoor for 7 hours, Senior Associate Editor Shawan Sen for 3 hours, Republic Media Network CEO Vikas Khanchandanani for 7 hours, Assistant Vice President Ghanshyam Singh for 25 hours, CFO Sundaram for 45 hours and COO Harsh Bhandari for 8 hours.

READ | 94- Yr-old INA Veteran Speaks Against Republic Witch-hunt, Draws Parallels With Emergency

Accompanying Republic Media Network's Senior Associate Editor Shawan Sen and Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy to the NM Joshi Marg Police Station on Saturday, Arnab Goswami pointed out that Param Bir Singh, in his witch hunt to target Republic, invoked one of the rarest sections, Section 3(1) - a 1922 law belonging to the British Raj & last used during the Emergency era, to target the network's journalists, with Arnab promising 'we will win, we will win big.'

On even more Republic journalists now being summoned, Arnab Goswami issued a statement on Monday saying, "I am sharing with a sense of disbelief that Param Bir has intensified attack on my journalists. He has started a series of summons. Journalists from our Delhi, Noida and Mumbai operations have been summoned. They are all being given under 24 hours notice. Even when some are recovering from COVID, the Mumbai police says they have to travel and be before their police stations. Apparently, he has asked his cops to go "all-out". During the interrogations, we are being told to tone down or else Param Bir will file more fake cases against us. In all, we have endured 150 hours of semi custodial interrogation. They say they want to 'break us'. As it is now public knowledge one of the interrogators is a Shiv Sena leader who has pending cases for charges like extortion. All Republic employees and journalists are resolutely fighting this. For us, this is a battle we are certain to win. We are exercising legal remedies. The courts will hear the people. I am shocked that the Uddhav government has endorsed the use of the 1922 British era law against my network. I say once again, the time has come for a mass movement against this injustice. I am a self-made media entrepreneur. I will fight my battle from Mumbai. The people of Mumbai and the people of India are with me. By way of this message, I am calling upon the people of India to fight this madness that the rogue cop and his insecure political masters have unleashed. Please share this message. In whichever way you can. We have to win this." 

READ | Arnab Goswami Roars 'we'll Win & Win Big' As Param Bir Deploys 1922 Law To Target Republic