Case filed against MLA Jignesh Mevani for harassing columnist Shefali Vaidya.

Jignesh Mevani is an elected MLA from Vadgam constituency of Gujarat who won the elections with the support of Congress and Aam Aadmi Party. Jignesh Mevani is known for giving hate speeches and for instigating disharmony through his words. Jignesh had earlier accepted to taking money from Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) which is the political front of Popular Front of India (PFI) to fund his election campaign. PFI is a notorious organization and many of its members are fighting on the side of the Islamic State (IS) in iraq and Syria. There have been many demands of a ban on the PFI raised by BJP in the central government as well as by the Kerala government where PFI is most active. Jignesh’s involvement with the PFI leaders and the support shown to him exposes the kind of politics expected of him. It is because of these reasons that one of our old columnists Shefali Vaidya had grown anxious when a derogatory photoshopped image of her had been shared by Jignesh Mevani on social media. Jignesh Mevani not only has ties with notorious outfits but he is an elected representative too which makes the happenings even shadier. Shefali Vaidya had approached the rural cyber-crime cell with a complaint against the MLA from Gujarat. In the most recent development, Pune rural police have finally filed a case of defamation against the leader while also booking him under the Information Technology (IT) Act.

The tweet from Jignesh Mevani’s official Twitter handle was shared on May 29^th. Owing to the large number of his followers and sympathizers on the social media platform it became viral quickly. This made matters worse for Shefali Vaidya and her family as she faced harassment from various quarters due to the tweet. This type of shameful behavior coming from an elected MLA is deplorable and more so because it was directed towards a private citizen and a woman.

The cabal of Leftist media houses and liberals who had swooped in on Shefali Vaidya’s social media accounts had disregarded the fact that she has a family and is foremost a woman. Online harassment faced by her knew no bounds and it was surprising that no feminist intellectual came out to point out the mistake in Jignesh’s or that of his follower’s misconduct. If a so called ‘secular’ having the stamp of a ‘liberal’ writer and a columnist/journalist is even criticized a little in the media it makes headlines. The only reason why the harassment directed against Shefali have not been widely reported is because she is a woman in a saree, who is proud of her culture and exposes the cabal’s lies and hypocrisy time and again.

We have kept a close watch at the developments in this case, not only because she is an old columnist from the TFI family but also because she is well equipped to fend off the cabal’s hypocrisy. India and Indian way of life needs people like Shefali Vaidya who can counter the fraudulent claims made by leftist pseudo-seculars and wannabe liberals. The decision taken by Pune rural police to file complaint in this regard is a welcome one and we want to see the law taking its course swiftly. Jignesh Mevani and the likes of him should be brought to justice as soon as possible and everyone should contribute their bit in this fight on Shefali’s side. If you are a woman, you need to stand up for harassment faced by Shefali at the hands of liberal social media tormentors and if you are a man, stand up against the attempt to vilify a private citizen by an elected representative, Jignesh Mevani.