PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat marched along with his supporters to the Bharatiya Janata Party State office on Thursday, demanding proof from the party to support the disinformation campaign unleashed by it against him.
Although the former CM had earlier declared that the march would be a solitary event, a large number of his supporters accompanied him in the march from Nehru Colony to the BJP office. The march was stopped by the police near the BJP office following which there was a minor altercation between the police and Congress workers.
Paying tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rawat said that today’s BJP should learn from the late Vajpayee about how to maintain social harmony by taking everyone along. Accusing the BJP of making use of lies to tarnish his image, the senior Congress leader said that the party should provide proof to support its allegations.
“On social media platforms, I was portrayed as a traitor, spying for Pakistan. Provide proof that I am a Pakistani spy. You have misused artificial intelligence to portray me in a way that disrupts the social harmony of the State. Your IT cell and the BJP’s Uttarakhand president posted it on the official page and promoted it. Provide proof that I have ever done what you are trying to portray,’’ he said.
Rawat added that in 2017, the BJP accused his government of declaring a public holiday in government offices in Uttarakhand for offering Friday Namaz. He said that the BJP has not yet provided proof or the gazette notification for the alleged holiday. Similarly, he said that ahead of the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP claimed that if the Congress party comes to power, it will establish a Muslim university in Uttarakhand. Rawat said that the constitution of India prohibits the opening of any university or institution on the basis of religion or in the name of religion. “Despite my challenge, the BJP has not disclosed any of my statements published in newspapers or on any media platform as proof that I promised to establish a Muslim university. The BJP’s dirty tricks wing created and consistently spread these lies,’’ Rawat said.
