- Congress government has arrested an editor for allegedly publishing satires criticizing Congress
- FIR under four sections have been lodged against the editor by a Congress worker
- The narrative of intolerance built against the Modi government does not stand the taste of observable reality
Ever since PM Modi came to power in 2014, Congress has been shouting intolerance from their rooftops. Even artists like cartoonists, comedians and satirists had joined the chorus. But, if you go by what’s happening in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, things look totally different.
Baghel government arrests journalist
Congress government in Chhattisgarh has arrested a journalist for publishing political satires criticizing its policies. Nilesh Sharma, editor of Indiawriters.co.in and its magazine was arrested by the Bhupesh Singh Baghel administration on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022.
Nilesh was arrested after Khilawan Nishad, a Congress member filed a case against him with the Raipur cyber police. Sharma publishes a column called ‘Ghurwa ke Maati’. According to Khilawan, fictional characters in the column resemble state ministers and Congress legislators. Khilawan also accused Sharma of using derogatory remarks in his column.
FIR under four sections
Khilawan seemed so hurt by the satire that four sections of the Indian Penal Code were imposed on Sharma. The case was registered under Sections 504 (intentionally provoking a breach of peace), 505 (public mischief), 505-1 (publishing a rumour) and 505-2 (statements promoting enmity, hatred or ill will).
Prashant Agarwal, SP of Raipur Police informed, “We have booked him under the relevant sections for spreading rumours, fake news, and more investigation is going on.”
Read more: Intolerance, Congress Style! After Maharashtra, now principal in MP gets suspended over Savarkar
Baghel government has been harsh on journalists
This is the second such attack on freedom of expression by the Congress government in Chhattisgarh in the last six months. In October last year, the Baghel administration arrested two journalists for allegedly publishing a misleading and baseless report against Congress legislators.
Apparently, it was the erstwhile BJP government of Chhattisgarh which was defamed by various media portals for attacking freedom of speech. In the 2018 state assembly elections, Congress had fought the election on promises of protecting journalists.
Attack on PM Modi
As soon as PM Modi started his Prime Ministership journey, Congress and its alleged loyal media allies launched a coordinated attack on the Modi government. As soon as the news of the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq came into the spotlight, the cabal of academia, journalists and other left-tilted intellectuals joined hands to portray one incident as a representative of a scenario in the whole country.
Read more: Freedom of Expression: The convenient ownership of the idea by the dogmatic Indian Left
Various so-called intellectuals started to return their national awards in protest, which gave birth to the term ‘Award Waapsi Gang’. Later, various internationally famed Indians like Vir Das and others constantly used the narrative to propagate that India is an intolerant country that hinders its artists’ freedom of expression.
Read more: Vir Das takes to Twitter to attack ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’
The reality of Congress and BJP rule
However, contrary to building up narratives, the observable reality is totally different. Modi government is under severe criticism and scrutiny by the media. The narrative of Modi being undemocratic goes silent only for a few days when BJP wins certain elections. The media goes into hiding after getting a reality check from the public, but only for a brief period.
Read more: FIR against Akhlaq’s family: Media Intellectuals cry Intolerance
On the contrary, the Congress government’s curtailing freedom of expression gets very little coverage. Dissent is the essence of Democracy. If Congress does not learn it sooner, they are in for further decline, ending in extinction.