The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday alleged that Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is trying to protect the dangerous mentality of people like Imran Masood, who was arrested for his hate speech in which he allegedly threatened to "chop" BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi "into pieces".
"We have seen the kind of language used by our political opponents. Their political secularism has changed into Taliban secularism. People are going to reject this as they want to go on the path of good governance and development," said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
"We have complained to Election Commission to take action against the party who is making one statement after other. Congress is trying to disrupt the peaceful situation in the country during elections," he added.
Naqvi also said that there is a revolution against bad governance and a battle for good governance in this country today.
"It is very evident and is happening all over the country. Country's fate and face is going to transform in this elections," he added.
Masood, 40, was arrested on the basis of a video clipping that went viral on the web. The clipping showed threatening to "chop Narendra Modi to pieces", igniting a new political controversy prior to next month's general election.
He is now facing criminal charges for his hate speech, though he maintains that he never threatened to kill Modi, but only to teach him a lesson.
A First Information Report (FIR) accuses him of violating the Model Code of Conduct, but it is not clear when and where the comments were made. Local police said they received the video CD on Thursday.
Masood claims he spoke those words eight months ago, when he was with the Samajwadi Party.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
)