Now, Tejashwi Yadav faces criminal defamation complaint for calling Gujaratis ‘thugs’

A criminal defamation complaint has been filed against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav for his alleged remark suggesting "only Gujaratis can be thugs in the current situation".

A social worker and businessman named Haresh has filed a complaint under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500 (dealing with criminal defamation) in the court of additional metropolitan magistrate DJ Parmar, PTI reported.

"We submitted the complaint along with proof in form of a pen drive containing the statement. The court has accepted the complaint and will verify it on May 1," the news agency quoted Mehta's lawyer PR Patel as saying.

"Only Gujaratis can be thugs in the present situation, and their fraud (crime) will be forgiven. Who will be responsible if they run away with the money belonging to LIC or banks?" the Bihar Deputy CM had allegedly said.

The complainant has claimed that Yadav's comments project the entire Gujarati community as "thug". Mehta said that a "thug" is a rogue, sly and criminal person, and such a comment will make non-Gujarati people view Gujaratis with suspicion.

The Bihar minister had allegedly made those comments in front of media on March 21.

It has to be noted that the Surat court in March sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in the defamation case filed on the basis of a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for the Congress leader's remark "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" while delivering a speech in 2019.

As a result, Gandhi, who had won the Lok Sabha seat from Wayanad in Kerala, was disqualified from Lok Sabha.

Also, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh have been summoned by a court in Ahmedabad for their remarks on the institute.