Senior Congress leader and Congress candidate from Varanasi Ajay Rai has been booked for sedition for making a hate speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
According to the reports, the five-time MLA had held a public meeting in Pindra, Varanasi, on January 31 without obtaining permission. Sub-Inspector Ram Krishna Yadav filed the complaint.
The police officer said that Rai, in his address, asked people to metaphorically bury Prime Minister Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with salt.
“Aap log namak rakhey rakhna, March 7, 2022, ko Modi vah Yogi ko khanke gaad diya jayega (Be ready with salt, on March 7 we will bury Modi and Yogi),” Congress leader Ajay Rai had said in a public meeting. The video of the incident has now gone viral on the internet.
Keep salt ready, will bury PM Modi and Yogi with the same in the ground on 7th: Congress leader Ajay Rai from Varanasi pic.twitter.com/hhl9rURSXB
— MeghUpdates🚨™ (@MeghBulletin) February 4, 2022
Sometimes, a dead body is buried with salt to fasten the decomposition process and also to mask the smell so that dogs and other animals do not dig up the grave and eat the corpse.
The police officer said that the speech was made to create enmity between people and disturb law and order. A four-member team had conducted an inquiry and concluded that an FIR should be lodged, the officer said. The police also said that Rai had violated the model code of conduct and Covid-19 protocols by organising such meetings.
“The video will be sent to a (forensic) laboratory for examination,” a senior police officer added.
The FIR has been lodged under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 124-A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between groups and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot).
Meanwhile, Rai denied the allegations, saying, “People have complained that salt distributed from the fair price shops was not good quality. People were falling ill after having it. I told people to collect it and bury them (the BJP) on March 7, which is voting day… A deliberate misinterpretation was done that I said something about the PM and CM.”
Ajay Rai, a five-time MLA, also contested the 2017 election from Pindra and lost to the BJP’s Avadhesh Singh. Ajay Rai had earlier contested unsuccessfully against Modi from Varanasi in the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections.
