Congress leader Manickam Tagore has voiced strong criticism of the Supreme Court’s recent remarks on Rahul Gandhi’s statements regarding the Chinese incursion, stating that the language used by the bench has sent a "wrong message." Tagore argued that such terminology is typically employed by political figures when faced with uncomfortable questions from the Opposition.
“To elected representatives in Parliament, we can call anyone anti-national, even question judges’ loyalty to the nation. But that is not the right way to interpret the Constitution,” Tagore said.
While the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the defamation case against Gandhi was a legal relief, Tagore expressed concern over how the judges' comments were being circulated by the BJP's IT Cell to mislead the public and paint a negative image of the Congress leader.
Earlier in the day, the top court had sharply criticized Gandhi for his remarks during the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he alleged that “Chinese troops are thrashing Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh” and that “2,000 sq km of Indian territory has since been occupied by China.”
The bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih, questioned whether Gandhi had any evidence to support his claims and why such concerns were not raised in Parliament. “A true Indian will not say this… Can you say all this during a border conflict? Just because you have Article 19(1)(a), you cannot say anything,” the court observed.
Responding to the BJP’s accusations that Gandhi is “energised by outside forces,” Tagore said that political discourse has evolved to include extreme language, a shift from the more restrained tone of earlier times.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)