Cong dubs as 'manufactured controversy' reports on inviting Kanhaiya Kumar for party event

The Congress on Monday dubbed as "manufactured controversy" the reports that it had withdrawn invites to former JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid to an event organised by the party's minority cell.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, when asked about the media reports and BJP's criticism over the the issue, said the AICC Minorities department had organised the event to commemorate the 72nd death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and it was its prerogative who to invite or not invite.

Tewari slammed the reports as "manufactured controversy", without elaborating on whether the invite to Kumar and Rashid was extended and later withdrawn.

Responding to a question on the issue, BJP minister Prakash Javadekar said the Congress, which was once a mainstream party, has become a "narrow-minded party" that even the SP and the BSP were not ready to forge an alliance with it.

Tewari, while apparently referring to the chargesheet against former JNU student leader Kumar and 9 others, accused of raising anti-India slogans, said a chargesheet is nothing more than the best appreciation of fact and circumstances as understood by the investigative officer.

"Indian jurisprudence stands on a very clear footing that you are innocent until conclusively proven guilty and as I am given to understand by newspaper reports that even the court has not taken cognizance of that particular chargesheet," he said.