A Criminal Defamation Case was filed against Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on April 26. Yadav has been charged with defamation for his ‘Only Gujarati’s can be thug’ remarks at a speech in March this year.
The complaint was filed against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader by social worker and businessman Haresh Mehta, under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500 (dealing with criminal defamation) in the court of additional metropolitan magistrate DJ Parmar.
“We submitted the complaint along with proof in form of a pen drive containing the statement. The court has accepted the complaint and will verify it on May 1,” Mehta’s lawyer P R Patel said.
A similar complaint was given by Sarva Gujarati Samaj in March this year.
On March 23, the Sarva Gujarati Samaj Chhatisgarh handed over a complaint letter to the Superintendent of Police, Dhamtari District against the RJD supremo. Tejashwi is currently, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar state. On 22nd March 2023, Tejashwi Yadav insulted the Gujarati community by suggesting that only Gujaratis could be fraudsters and thugs in the current scenario, his actions cannot be forgotten due to the fact that both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are Gujaratis.
The complainant Preetesh Gandhi wrote, “The statement made by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the media is highly condemnable. He has said in the media that only Gujaratis can be fraudsters”
“He has used such indecent words for benefitting his politics. This statement made by Tejashwi Yadav has hurt the Gujarati community as well as the entire Gujarati people”, Gandhi added further.
“Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud (crime) will be forgiven. Who will be responsible if they run away with the money belonging to LIC or banks?” the Bihar Deputy CM had allegedly in a speech referred to in these cases.
Yadav was speaking on the Adani issue that had stalled Parliament. His accusation caused outrage in Gujarat.
The complainant said he is also a Gujarati, and when he came across the news on a digital platform, he realised such a defamatory statement will make a non-Gujarati look down upon a resident of the state as a ‘thug’.
It may be noted that a court in Gujarat’s Surat city in March convicted and sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail over his “Modi surname” remark. After the conviction, the former Congress president lost his Lok Sabha membership.
Separately, a court in Ahmedabad has issued summonses to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh in a criminal defamation case filed by the Gujarat University over their remarks on the institute.
