New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sharply criticised the Congress party following an alleged assault of India Today journalist Rohit Sharma by Congress supporters in the United States.
Speaking at a rally in Doda of Jammu and Kashmir, Modi used the assault to question the Congress's commitment to values like freedom of speech and respect for journalists.
Modi said a media person from India was locked in a room and beaten on the soil of the US, accusing the Congress of lowering the country's dignity.
"I read in the newspapers today that an Indian journalist, while in America, faced severe mistreatment... Independent media is a pillar of a vibrant democracy. Does such treatment of a journalist reflect well on India's dignity?" Modi said.
Sharma, a journalist with Aaj Tak, wrote a long article to describe the ordeal he went through at a Dallas event when he asked Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda if Rahul Gandhi would raise the issue of Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh during his meeting with US lawmakers.
In a strong rebuttal, Prime Minister Modi said, "Congress claims to run a shop of love ('Mohabbat ki Dukan'), but they assaulted a son of India in the US."
The Congress party defended the incident as an isolated act by overzealous supporters, not reflective of the party's stance on press freedom or human rights.
In an interview with Rajdeep Sardesai on Friday, Indian Overseas Congress chairman Sam Pitroda said that the Congress party was nothing to do with the incident.
After PM Modi’s attack, BJP IT cell head and national spokesperson Amit Malviya questioned the silence of Gandhi, who, according to him masquerades as a self appointed custodian of Constitutional values and free speech these days.
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