BJP Hits Out at Congress as Indian Court Asks Twitter to Block Party’s Account

India’s main opposition party Congress started ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (Unite India Campaign) on September 7 to mobilize the party cadre and general public. Congress Parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi is leading the campaign and set to cover about 3,570 kilometres across 12 states and two union territories.

Indian PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Indian National Congress on Tuesday after a local Bengaluru city court ordered a temporary block of the latter’s Twitter handle.

The court also ordered to temporary block the Twitter account of Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India Campaign).

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla lashed out at Congress, saying “once a thief, always a thief."

He even went on say that the full form of INC is not Indian National Congress but rather "I Need 'Chori'" (I Need Theft).

Poonawalla, in his tweet also referred to the National Herald case, alleging that Congress earlier "looted" the national assets and National Herald property, and now it is "looting" private people’s and enterprises' intellectual property.

Once a thief, always a thief

First they looted the national assets & National Herald Property now they are looting private people’s & enterprises “intellectual property” #CongressAlwaysSteals

INC = I Need Chori pic.twitter.com/2ylXgnGGQg

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) November 8, 2022

The National Herald case dates back to 2012, when the then BJP parliamentarian Subramanian Swamy filed a case in a trial court alleging financial irregularities by the then-Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul Gandhi, and others during acquisition of Associated Journals Limited (AJL) by the Gandhi family-owned Young Indian Pvt Limited (YIL) in 2010.

Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis and other Congress politicians, who were stakeholders in YIL, were involved in cheating and a breach of trust in the acquisition of AJL, as an interest-free loan of INR 900 million ($11.5 million) was given to AJL by Congress to revive the National Herald from party funds.

He also alleged that the loan was illegal since it was taken from party funds.

The order of the local Bengaluru court came on Monday after a music firm filed a copyright case against Congress for playing songs from the movie KGF-2 at the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' led by party parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi.

A complaint against three Congress politicians including Rahul Gandhi was filed by M. Naveen Kumar, who manages MRT music. He alleged that music from the superhit movie KGF-2 was used during the campaign, violating copyright laws.

Meanwhile, Congress said that it is not aware of the court proceedings and hasn’t got any copy of the order.

The party said in a tweet: “We have read on social media about an adverse order from a Bengaluru court against Indian National Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra social media handles. We were neither made aware of nor present at court proceedings. No copy of the order has been received. We are pursuing all the legal remedies at our disposal.”