Guwahati, 18th September: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has received a summons from a court in Uttarakhand regarding defamation charges related to comments he made about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the 2022 Uttarakhand assembly election campaign.
The summons, issued by the court of the additional sessions judge, requires CM Sarma to “appear before the court on September 21 to respond to the allegations.”
The complaint was filed by Uttarakhand state Congress spokesperson Ganesh Upadhyay, who alleged that “during a public rally in the district’s Kichha town on February 11, 2022, Sarma had questioned Rahul Gandhi’s lineage and made defamatory remarks against Sonia Gandhi.” Upadhyay claimed that these remarks were inflammatory and constituted a misuse of the IT Act.
During the rally, Sarma stated, “India, under the leadership of General Bipin Rawat, the pride of Uttarakhand and the nation, carried out a surgical strike in Pakistan. In response, Rahul Gandhi demanded evidence, prompting the question of whether we ever inquire about who his father is. What authority do we possess to request proof from the armed forces?”