BJP leader and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday criticised the registration of an FIR against party MP Kangana Ranaut over her remarks on Sonia Gandhi's memoir, saying people have the right to speak in a democracy, the Press Trust of India reported.Thakur also accused the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh of taking action against critics over their social media posts while ignoring objectionable posts against senior BJP leaders."The people who are taking care of the social media handles of the state Congress put out such posts against senior BJP leaders which are so objectionable that they cannot be read or seen. An FIR should also be registered against them, but despite several requests, no cases are registered against them," Thakur said.He also said media publications had reported that Sonia Gandhi's book contained more than 55 factual inaccuracies.
Shimla Police on Friday booked the Mandi MP on charges of promoting enmity, hatred or disharmony, public mischief and defamation over a social media post about the Gandhi family, according to PTI.The case was registered under Sections 196, 353 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita following a complaint by Capt Atul Sharma. He alleged that Ranaut's November 10 post contained inflammatory insinuations about the deaths of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and her sons, Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
According to the complaint, the post described Sonia Gandhi as a "mysterious foreign national" who arrived at a cafe abroad before relatives were killed one after another, leaving her as the head of government. It included the remark: "How convenient."The complaint also alleged that the post claimed Maneka Gandhi was abruptly expelled from the family residence after Sanjay Gandhi's death.Naresh Chauhan, principal media adviser to the chief minister, said Ranaut's remarks were unbecoming of her position.
He said she had a penchant for staying in the headlines and tried to do so by making controversial statements.The FIR against Ranaut has drawn criticism from Thakur, who defended the right to speak in a democracy and alleged that the Congress government was selective in acting against social media posts.- Ends(With PTI inputs)