Jaipur: Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday cited recent observations made by the Bombay High Court in a case and alleged that BJP governments have been displaying a "repressive and undemocratic character" by taking action against dissenting voices.
Referring to remarks made by Justice Madhav Jamdar of the Bombay High Court, Gehlot said the observations have exposed "the BJP's intolerance towards criticism and opposition".
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Quashing a year-long externment order passed against a local politician in Maharashtra, the high court observed that citizens cannot be made slaves of the government, and externment orders cannot be passed merely because a person is involved in agitations and protests against the government.
Gehlot said the ruling party has created such an atmosphere where any opposition to the government is often portrayed as anti-national.
"Freedom to protest is the soul of democracy. However, the BJP has reduced it to a situation where even political sloganeering becomes a ground for retaliatory action," he said.
The Congress leader claimed that in the last 12 years, critics of governments in BJP-ruled states -- including journalists, politicians and social activists -- have faced criminal cases and prolonged legal action for expressing views against government policies.
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Leaders in public life should possess the ability to tolerate criticism, Gehlot said, urging law enforcement agencies to remain accountable to the Constitution rather than to any political party.
He alleged that attempts to suppress dissent and create an atmosphere of fear amounted to an attack on democratic values.
(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
Author : PTI