Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Will send MoS Ajay Misra to jail even if it takes 15 years, warns Rahul Gandhi

A video clip showing MoS Teni losing his cool at reporters surfaced on Wednesday. The clip showed MoS Teni calling reporters ‘thieves’ and lunging at one of them when they questioned him on the October 3 violence for which his son is among the accused.

New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi continued to attack Union Minister of State for Home, Ajay Kumar Misra alias Teni, saying that the minister will be sent to jail even if it takes 15 years.

"When I went to Lakhimpur Kheri, I had promised the families of the deceased victims that no matter what happens, we will provide them justice by pressuring the Union government. So justice will not be done without pressure and struggle. Like the Congress had said from the start that the three `black laws` (farm laws) will have to be repealed, were eventually withdrawn. Similarly, I am saying that the MoS Home has to resign and we will put pressure on the government until he goes to jail. Whether it takes 5, 10 or 15 years, we will not leave the Minister till he is sent to jail," Gandhi added.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case had on Tuesday claimed on the basis of its probe and evidence that Mishra`s son Ashish Mishra, along with several others, had acted deliberately to carry out the killing of farmers as per a well-planned conspiracy. 

Many farmers were killed in this accident following which the opposition parties have been slamming the BJP.

In the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, Gandhi said, "This is a conspiracy, it was not a random event. And it is quite obvious who hatched the conspiracy and how. We (Congress) wanted to discuss the matter in Parliament. the Congress demands the resignation of the accused Minister but the Union government is not ready to debate the matter."

Asked about the action being taken by the Union government, he said, "We will put pressure continuously on the Union government. If we put pressure, the accused Minister will resign but the issue is that there has been a conspiracy. Farmers have been killed and it is being alleged that the Union Minister is involved. The Prime Minister knows the accused Minister well as the latter is a part of his cabinet but the PM has remained silent on the issue."

"On one hand the Prime Minister apologises to the farmers, on the other, when it comes to giving compensation to the deceased farmers, he refuses... and the alleged killers accused of lynching the farmers still remains a Cabinet Minister. So, Congress wants to raise this issue in the Parliament, but the Union government is not giving us the permission."

Responding to Union Minister Piyush Goyal`s statement that as the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, there can be no discussion in the Parliament, Gandhi said "This statement holds no logic. Whatever issue you want to discuss in Parliament, you are free to do it."

Meanwhile, a video clip showing MoS losing his cool at reporters surfaced on Wednesday. The clip showed MoS Teni calling reporters ‘thieves’ and lunging at one of them when they questioned him on the October 3 violence for which his son is among the accused.

“Don't ask questions like a fool. Have you lost your mental balance ('Dimag kharab hai kya')?” the MoS was heard saying in Hindi. “What do you want to know” You turned an innocent person into an accused. Aren't you ashamed?”

MoS was also heard calling the media ‘chor’, or thieves, and angrily asking a journalist to switch off his mobile phone.

The clip shows him moving aggressively towards a reporter. The confrontation took place at a government health centre, 15 kilometres from the Lakhimpur Kheri district headquarters, where he had gone to inaugurate an oxygen plant.