Rijiju’s ‘anti-Indian gang’ rhetoric seeks to pressure justice, intimidate judge: Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said Sunday that federal justice minister Kiren Rijiju’s remarks that several retired judges were part of “anti-Indian gangs” put pressure on the judiciary. He claimed it was an attempt to intimidate a judge.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave in the capital on Saturday, Rijiju said several retired judges and some activists who are “members of anti-India gangs” have taken an opposition role in India’s judiciary. He claimed that he was trying to get it done.

While speaking to reporters here, Laut responded to the remarks by saying, “What kind of democracy is this? Is it appropriate for the Minister of Justice to threaten the judiciary? It’s a threat to officials and an attempt to put pressure on the judiciary.”

Criticizing the government does not mean being against the state, Laut said.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP also said there was a move to suspend parliamentary leader from Lok Sabha after Rahul Gandhi spoke out about threats to democracy in the country.

In response to a question asking Gandhi to apologize for his comments, Raut said, “Rahul Gandhi will not apologize and why should he apologize?”

“The leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are actually denouncing the country and its political leaders in foreign lands,” he accused.

The BJP responded to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks in London claiming that the fabric of India’s democracy was under attack and that there was an “all-out attack” on the country’s institutions. I demanded an apology from Gandhi.

The BJP accused him of smearing India on a foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention, and parliament hit back at the ruling party, citing past instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising domestic affairs abroad.