NCP leader Malik accuses BJP of distorting his 'Goebbels' jibe

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik on Saturday accused the BJP of distorting his year-old comment during a TV discussion and circulating it to defame him.

He has filed a complaint in this regard with the Cyber Cell of Mumbai Police, he said.

BJP spokespersons could not be reached for comments on his allegations.

Addressing a press conference here, Malik said that during a debate on a newschannel in September 2018, he accused BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra of adopting the tactics of Joseph Goebbels, the infamous propaganda minister of Adolf Hitler.

"I said some people belonged to the lineage of Goebbels, were proponent of lies and campaigned as if they were Hitler's campaigners. Patra misinterpreted the statement and said I spoke of him as belonging to lineage of 'Gobar' (cowdung).

"He then said I had talked about the Hindus belonging to the lineage of Gobar, while I had not named any community at all. That clip was edited, distorted and is now being made viral over the last few days again," the NCP leader said.

Last year, the BJP's IT cell had trolled him after this debate, and he had even received threat calls, Malik said.

The latest attempt to defame him on social media began after the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena formed a government in Maharashtra, he said.

Malik also claimed that a gangster, said to be hiding in a foreign country, had threatened him over phone many times in the past five years for criticising the BJP.

"I had complained to the police after receiving threats. Many of those who contested against me had criminal cases like murder pending against them. The Election Commission had asked police to give me protection. But the (then BJP-led) government did not give me protection," Malik alleged.

The BJP should "fight political battles only politically" and not through other means, he said.

Spokespersons of the Maharashtra BJP were not available for comments on Malik's allegations.