The Congress has filed a police case against the BJP's Amit Malviya and Editor-in-Chief of Republic, Arnab Goswami. They have been accused of spreading malicious disinformation about the Congress having an office in Turkey. In their post, they also mentioned defamation of "the constitutional office of the Leader of Opposition" Rahul Gandhi. .
The Congress Legal Cell said it was a "malicious attempt" to malign the party, "provoke unrest, undermine national security" and a direct attack on democracy. "We will not stay silent," it added in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Let this be a clear message: Any attempt to spread fake news against our party or its leadership will be met with firm legal and political response," it added.
In its complaint, the Congress said Mr Malviya and Mr Goswami had started circulating a fake claim that the Istanbul Congress Center in Turkey is the office of the Indian National Congress.
"This act was executed with clear and undeniable criminal intent to deceive the Indian public, defame a major political institution, manipulate nationalist sentiments, incite public unrest, and undermine national security and democratic integrity".
They have been accused of "masterminding a heinous and criminally motivated campaign to disseminate patently false information".
The public mood in the country has been strongly against Turkey since its support to Pakistan during the Operation Sindoor.
There has been a massive backlash with bookings for Turkey being cancelled, universities cancelling programmes with their Turkish counterparts and Turkish firms being given marching orders.
"This orchestrated campaign is not a mere ethical lapse but a deliberate criminal conspiracy, executed with premeditation to cause public harm, destabilize the nation, and advance partisan agendas. The accused have abused their positions of influence-Mr. Malviya as a key political strategist and Mr. Goswami as a prominent media figure-to perpetrate a grave assault on truth, public safety, and national interest," read the First Information Report filed in the matter.
