Complaint Filed Against Kejriwal, Kharge For Citing President's Caste In Row Over New Parliament Opening

A complaint was filed against Arvind Kejriwal and Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly making "inciteful statements" citing the caste of President Droupadi Murmu amid the row over new Parliament opening.

File photos of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

Source : PTI

A complaint has been filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and others for allegedly making "inciteful" remarks citing the caste of President Droupadi Murmu in connection with the event of the inauguration of the new Parliament building. The complaint comes as Opposition parties including the Congress, the AAP, the Shiv Sena UBT, and more critcised the Modi government for not inviting President Murmu to the historic event. Some of the leaders also made reference to her belonging to the Schedule Tribe community in their remarks.

The complaint has been filed by a Supreme Court advocate named Vineet Jindal, news agency ANI reported.

"The statement has been with the intent to promote enmity among communities/groups and trying to create distrust for the Government of India to fulfil their political motives which are an office under sections 121, 153(A), 505 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," the complainant alleged, as quoted by ANI.

According to Jindal, the statements made by Kharge and Kejriwal were made intentionally, to refer to the "caste" of the esteemed President of India with the intention to portray that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the present Government have "deliberately not invited" the President for the inauguration of the new Parliament building. 

These statements are widely published and circulated in news and social media and would result in provoking the ST and Adivasi community as our honourable President too belongs to Adivasi and ST community, the complaint further stated, as per ANI.

It further argued that such remarks made by influential politicians on the ground of caste and against the duly elected government to promote enmity among communities/groups are highly condemnable. "The political leaders just for the sake of their political gain should not be allowed to stoop to the level of disgracing the highest constitutional posts. Besides, it would cause fear in the community creating distrust against the duly elected government, which are offences under sections 121,153A,505,34 IPC. which are cognizable offences and very serious in nature," the complainant stated.

He also requested the Delhi Police Commissioner to lodge FIR and take strict legal action against them. 

Kharge, Kejriwal Slam Modi Govt Over New Parliament's Inauguration

In a series of tweets, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the Modi government and accused the “BJP-RSS government” of reducing the Office of the President to mere tokenism.

The Modi government has only “ensured election of President of India from the Dalit and the Tribal communities only for electoral reasons,” he wrote.

The Delhi Chief Minister also attacked the Centre on similar lines as he wrote: "Modi did not invite the then President Shri Ram Nath Kovind to lay the foundation stone of Lord Shri Ram temple. Modi did not invite Mr. Ramnath Kovind to lay the foundation stone of the new Parliament House."

"Now the present President is not even getting the inauguration of the new Parliament House done by the hands of Mrs. Droupadi Murmu. SC and ST society across the country is asking whether they are considered inauspicious, that's why they don't get invited?" he remarked.

PM Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building on May 28 following an invitation by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. As many as 20 opposition parties, including the Congress, Left, TMC, SP, and AAP announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building, saying they find no value in a new building when the "soul of democracy has been sucked out".