Congress’s hypocrisy towards ‘freedom of expression’

Last week, the Congress-led Opposition’s Ghamandia Alliance, vide a press note, announced a list of prominent journalists from leading news channels whom they will boycott for alleged bias in their coverage. Interestingly, not a single self-proclaimed democracy-loving party or the so-called progressive parties or left and socialist ideology parties, who are now singing the tune of Congress, came in protest against this decision of stifling media’s constitutional right of freedom of speech and expression. This only shows their mentality.

Congress has always exhibited its feudalistic approach; its leadership has never shown broad-mindedness to accept any criticism. Let me cite a recent incident – It was March 25, 2023 …. After the Gujarat High Court convicted Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case, his Lok Sabha membership got revoked. During his press conference, Ravi Sisodia, a journalist from CNN-News 18 asked Rahul Gandhi, “BJP alleges that the OBC has been defamed by your statement. What do you have to say about it? To this Rahul Gandhi replied, “Why are you working for the BJP? If you have so much affection for the BJP, why don’t you wear a T-shirt with BJP’s symbol on it and go around? Stop pretending to act as a journalist.” Rahul Gandhi didn’t stop at this. Addressing the journalist, he further said, “Kyun hawa nikal gayi?” (So, did the wind get knocked out of you). It is disgraceful for a leader of a national party to insult a journalist of a renowned news channel. Even then, none of the so-called democracy-loving people felt the need to say anything against this insult.

It was during this same press conference when Rahul Gandhi had also lashed out at senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. During this press conference, when Rahul Gandhi was criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for protecting the interests of the industrialists, Rajdeep Sardesai had said something. This agitated Congress’s prince who blasted Sardesai saying, “Let me finish talking, or else you will have to respond on my behalf. You anyway do it many a times.” In fact, Rahul Gandhi had publicly admitted that Sardesai was advocating the Congress. And so Rajdeep Sardesai’s face was worth seeing after hearing Rahul Gandhi’s statement during the conference. Anyway.

Let me cite a few more instances to prove Congress’s hypocrisy with regard to ‘freedom of expression’. Congress has always advocated its affection towards subjects like democracy and right to freedom of speech and expression. And here’s a peek into this rich heritage –Pandit Nehru, who is praised for his liberalism by many senior journalists and editors, had got the communist government led by Nambudripad dismissed. When Nehru was the Prime Minister, a congress ruled state government got renowned lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri jailed for comparing Nehru with Hitler. Similarly, when Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister, a case under Sedition Act was filed against MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana and the couple was imprisoned for several days.What was their crime? Well, the Rana couple had only declared that they would sit in front of Uddhav Thackeray’s residence ‘Matoshree’ and chant Hanuman Chalisa.Wasn’t this a cruel mockery of the Sedition Act? But no journalist or the so-called intellectuals spoke a word against this action.

Now if we compare Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure over the last 9 years, there have been innumerable instances where he has been criticized and abused in the foulest language. Probably there mustn’t have been a single day when he wasn’t compared to Adolf Hitler by his opponents. But not even once did the central government resort to any legal action against the opponents. Similarly, when people who were supporting Naxalite forces were arrested after the Bhima Koregaon violence, many people came forward to speak about our constitutional right of freedom of expression. Didn’t this so-called elite congregation feel the need to speak when action was taken against Rana couple? In fact, many intellectuals, writers and journalists use subjects like freedom of speech and expression and democracy as per their ideological convenience. We are told that ailments like diabetes, blood pressure are hereditary. Similarly, these intellectuals probably seem to have inherited the ideological convenience of using subjects like freedom of expression. And hence, they must be made to realize this harsh reality.

When fatwas to kill Taslima Nasreen and Salman Rushdie were issued, these people did not let out a peep. There was an uproar against Taslima Nasreen, a prominent Bengali litterateur over her book titled ‘Lajja’ by Islamic fanatics. Accusing that the content in the book was anti-Muslim, her book was banned and life threats were issued to her by the religious preachers. As a result, she had to leave Bangladesh and take refuge in India. Even in India, the so-called preachers of freedom of expression flatly refused to back Taslima. On October 29, 2020, Taslima had tweeted ‘Boycott Islam’. Congress and left ideologist Saket Gokhale filed a case against Nasrin claiming that the tweet could incite religious hatred. He is the same person who later reached the Rajya Sabha from Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress.

‘Emergency’ was a classic example of Congress’s hypocritic inclination towards freedom of expression. In those days, hundreds of journalists were put behind bars for criticizing the Emergency. People will recall how Gulzar-directed movie ‘Aandhi’ was banned because the protagonist’s character resembled Indira Gandhi. Also, another movie ‘Kissa kursi ka’ was banned during Emergency. When Congress was in power, Jack Anderson made a documentary on Rajiv Gandhi in which Indira Gandhi and her decision to impose Emergency was criticized which led to this documentary being banned from getting telecast on Doordarshan.

Today once again, the Congress and its allies have proved that their pretence by boycotting journalists for asking pointed questions to them and for not speaking in their favour. Despite knowing it well, some people continue to be loyal with them. Long live their loyalty!

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India -18 September. 2023)

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson