Defamation complaint against Rahul Gandhi for 'dalali' remark

A complaint was filed against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday for his 'Khoon ki dalali' barb against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi: A complaint of defamation was on Saturday lodged in a court here against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his 'dalali' remark targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the surgical strikes.

Local lawyer Sadanand Singh moved the application under IPC Section 500 (Punishment for defamation) in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate which fixed the hearing for October 25.

The complainant alleged that the 'dalali' remark made by Gandhi against the PM has extremely hurt him as well as the countrymen.

Singh also alleged that at a time when soldiers are sacrificing their lives in honour of the country, such leaders are indulging in cheap politics by making these controversial remarks.

In his complaint, Singh termed Gandhi's remark as unfortunate which has been made to "harm the popularity" of PM Modi.

While addressing people in the national capital, Gandhi had asserted said that 'PM Modi is exploiting sacrifices of soldiers' while adding further that "Modi is doing dalali over the sacrifice of the soldiers of the Indian Army who carried out the surgical strikes". 

"Jo hamare jawan hain jinhone apna khoon diya hai, Jammu and Kashmir mein khoon diya hai, jinhone Hindustan ke liye surgical strike kiye hain, unke khoon ke peeche aap chhupe hain. Unki aap dalali kar rahe ho. Yeh bilkul galat hai," Gandhi was quoted as saying. 

Categorically denying any politics over the surgical strikes, the Bharatiya Janata Party termed the remarks made by Rahul Gandhi as 'utterly shameful.'

Taking potshots at Congress VP for accusing PM Modi of doing politics on the sacrifices of jawans at the border, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said the former needs to get a mental check-up as a person with healthy mindset would not make such comments against the country`s Prime Minister.

"I think Rahul Gandhi needs education or he should have a mental check-up because anybody with slightest education will not use such words that to against the Prime Minister of India," Swamy said.

BJP president Amit Shah too trained his gun on Rahul Gandhi for his #KhoonKiDalali remarks against PM Modi and said, "Some parties tried to question the surgical strike that was carried out by the Army. We had, from the start, had tried to keep the operation by the Army away from politics but these parties have shamed the soldiers by giving it a political colour," Shah said.

"Rahul Gandhi crossed all limits with his ' khoon ki dalali' remark, he said, adding "Who has done coal ki dalali, who has done 2G ki dalali."

"I want to ask whether the blood of soldiers is a tradable commodity? Today when the Army is fighting valiantly, he is questioning them," Shah said.

(With PTI inputs)