On Monday, May 1, the Ahmedabad police booked Aam Aadmi Party’s Gujarat chief Isudan Gadhvi for falsely claiming through a tweet that the Union government has so far spent Rs 830 crore on PM Narendra Modi’s monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann ki Baat.’ The case was registered after Ahmedabad police took cognisance of a fact-check done by PIB, which asserted that the tweet by Gadhavi was misleading.
FIR against AAP Gujarat chief Isudan Gadhvi for tweet claiming Rs 830 crore spent on PM Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' programme, says official
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 1, 2023
The case against Gadhvi was registered under various IPC sections including 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 500 (defamation), 505(1)(b)and(c) (publishing rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public, or inciting people to commit an offence against the state or against public tranquility) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes).
On April 28, Isudan Gadhvi claimed in a now-deleted tweet that, “One episode of Mann Ki Baat costs Rs 8.3 crore. Which means that the Centre has spent Rs 830 crore on 100 episodes so far. This is too much. BJP workers should register their protest because mostly they listen to this programme.”
On Sunday, April 30, the PIB Fact Check Twitter handle posted a screenshot of Gadhvi’s tweet and said the AAP leader’s claim that Rs 830 crore was spent on ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was misleading.
“This Claim is Misleading. Rs 8.3 cr is the total figure of ads for Mann ki Baat till said date, not for a single episode. Tweet assumes each episode is supported by ads. Which is false,” the PIB Fact Check tweeted.
Claim: PM's one-day #MannKiBaat message costs 8.3 cr & 830 cr have been incurred so far on ads
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 30, 2023
▪️This Claim is #Misleading
▪️₹ 8.3 cr is total figure of ads for Mann ki Baat till said date, not for a single episode. Tweet assumes each episode is supported by ads. Which is false pic.twitter.com/oaYFYIgv1F
Taking cognisance of the PIB Fact Check tweet, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch registered an FIR against Gadhvi. The case was filed after it was found that Gadhvi made the claim without any relevant data to support it.
Although Isudan Gadhvi has not been arrested, the Aam Aadmi Party claimed that the BJP was intimidating its leaders by filing “false FIRs.”
A new day & a new FIR‼️
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 1, 2023
BJP ने देश में 2 क़ानून लागू किये हैं-
पहला: BJP ने @AAPGujarat अध्यक्ष @isudan_gadhvi के छोटे से कटाक्ष पर FIR कर दी
दूसरा: महिला खिलाड़ी इनके MP द्वारा यौन उत्पीड़न करने के ख़िलाफ़ धरने पर बैठी हैं लेकिन BJP कार्रवाई नहीं कर रही
-AAP MP… pic.twitter.com/HPQYQ6otPf
On April 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation for the 100th time on Mann Ki Baat. The 100th episode was broadcast globally, including at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
