The huge outcry that followed the election promise of the Congress party ban Bajrang Dal has landed the political party in hot water. In its manifesto for Karnataka elections, the party compared the Bajrang Dal, an offshoot of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and pledged to outlaw the Hindu organisation in a desperate effort to secure Muslim votes,
Amidst the ongoing controversy, VHP has initiated a defamation lawsuit against the party for disparaging Bajrang Dal and harming Hindu feelings worldwide, seeking ₹100 crores in damages.
The legal notice was sent on behalf of the Vidhi Prakoshth Seh Pramukh (Chandigarh) by the office of advocate Sahil Bansal of Punjab and Haryana High Court and in the name of Mallikarjun Kharge, the incumbent president of the grand old party.
It was served on the grounds of the Congress manifesto which was issued for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election. “That in the aforementioned manifesto on page 10, you made defamatory statements against the Bajrang Dal, an associate body of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad by declaring to ban the organisation and comparing it to outlawed terrorist organisations like the Popular Front of India and similar terrorist organisations like Students Islamic Movement of India which are outlawed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the Government of India.”
A Legal notice for defamation of Bajrang Dal Chandigarh by congress posted to @INCindia president @kharge with a claim of ₹100 Cr in damages for defaming #BajrangDal and hurting sentiments of Hindus globally.
— Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP (@VHPDigital) May 6, 2023
बजरंग दल को छेड़ने का फल तो भुगतना ही होगा… pic.twitter.com/qkDfdSXpgF
The notice has also mentioned that PFI and SIMI have established relationships with terror groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).
The outfit has asserted that it believes in universalism, tolerance, dharmic unity, national integrity and service towards mankind and the country and seeks inspiration from the reverential example of Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman who are the ideal embodiment of dharma and service.
The notification remarked about the service provided by the organisation in times of calamities including earthquakes and Covid 19. It highlighted the many laurels in the name of the organisation including a world record for blood donation.
It further elaborated that making such a spurious comparison to dreaded organisations damages the reputation and honour of its members, who number in the crores and defames those who venerate Lord Hanuman, who is worshipped by millions of Hindus worldwide.
It added that such general statements issued in public have the potential to injure the reputation of the Bajrang Dal members and hurt their self-esteem. Hence, a special demand is made to compensate for the damage that was done to their image.
The notice has allotted 14 days after its issuance to pay the amount otherwise the political party will be dragged to the court.
Congress released its manifesto on May 2 in which besides assuring to restore the four per cent Muslim quota scrapped by the BJP government, it also promised to ban Bajrang Dal causing a massive uproar after which senior party leaders like D. K. Shivakumar and Veerappa Moily tried to engage in damage control but to no avail.
Under the Law and Justice section of the manifesto, the Congress party said, “We believe that law and Constitution is sacrosanct and can not be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on any such organisations.”
However, after the huge backlash following the election promise, the Congress party has gone into a damage control mode and several leaders have said that the party does not intend to ban Bajrang Dal. The party said that a state govt can’t ban any party, as only the centre can do that.
Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Karnataka on 10 of this month to elect all 224 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and the results will be declared on May 13.
