Rahul Gandhi summoned by Ayodhya court for 'chowkidar chor hai' comment on PM Modi in 2019

A district court in Ayodhya has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on PM Modi during the former's stint as the grand old party's chief. The Wayanad MP was summoned by the first Sessions district court after a complaint was registered by activist Muralidhar Chaturvedi. The court has asked Rahul Gandhi to appear in person on March 26 to present his side of the arguments in the case. 

Activist Muralidhar Chaturvedi lodged a complaint against the former Congress chief after the latter had called the procurement of Rafale fighter jets a scam. Further, the activist also noted that Rahul Gandhi had made an inappropriate reference to PM Narendra Modi, calling him 'Chowkidar Chor Hai'. The complainant claimed that Rahul Gandhi's statements had hurt the sentiments of the people of Ayodhya and hence the complaint was filed following which Rahul Gandhi has been summoned on March 26. 

The 'chowkidar chor hai' slogan was used extensively by Congress in the 2019 general elections to target PM Modi and the BJP over the Dassault Rafale deal. The Congress had accused the PM Modi-led BJP government of purchasing the Rafale fighter jets at an inflated rate and had alleged corruption, thereby coining the provocative slogan.  

Gandhi's 'Hum Do Hamare Do' quip

Continuing to target Indian conglomerate Gautam Adani, ex-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, fumed at Adani adding $16.2 billion to his net worth in 2021, beating Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder Elon Musk. Rahul Gandhi had reignited the Family planning slogan in Lok Sabha while debating the Union Budget in February. He remarked, "The content of the third law is that when a farmer goes to the biggest industrialist and demands the right price for his grain, fruits and vegetables, then he will not be allowed to go to the court. Many years ago, there was a slogan for family planning- 'Hum do, hamare do'. Like coronavirus comes in a different form, this slogan has come back in a different form. Today, this country is run by 4 people- 'Hum do, hamare do'. Everyone knows their names."

Amid vociferous uproar from the Treasury benches, Rahul Gandhi also claimed that PM Modi had helped benefit two industrialists through demonetisation and GST, which he dubbed as "Gabbar Singh Tax". Refuting PM Modi's assurance that the farm laws are optional, he opined that the only options resulting from this legislation are hunger, unemployment and suicide. Recently, slammed the renaming of  Motera stadium to 'Narendra Modi Stadium' with its 'Ambani' and 'Adani' end,  tweeting 'HumDoHumareDo'.