PANJIM: The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Monday strongly condemned arrest of Gujarat Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani for tweeting about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters in the presence of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Amit Patkar and CWC Member and MLA Digambar Kamat, Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo said that Mevani’s arrest on flimsy ground has shocked all legislators across the country.
He said that Constitution has enshrined freedom to all individuals to speak fearlessly but Mevani’s arrest is an attempt to suppress the freedom of speech.
Further, Lobo said that a case was registered against Mevani in Gujarat, but the MLA was arrested in Assam. It’s also a warning, Lobo said, that nobody should speak against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers belonging to the BJP. He feared that similar arrests could happen in Goa under the current ruling dispensation.
Kamat said that Mevani’s arrest is an encroachment on the right of freedom of speech.
GPCC President Patkar said that Mevani’s re-arrest after his release shows that the country is under “undeclared emergency” and there is an attempt to suppress the freedom of speech.
“The Constitution of India enshrines fundamental right to freedom of expression and Mevani’s arrest is a violation of it,” Patkar added.
