Days after an old video of him allegedly using derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Delhi Police on Thursday whisked away Gujarat Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Gopal Italia from the office of the National Commission for Women (NCW), which had summoned him for the same video.
He was subsequently released by the Delhi police, which said in the evening that Italia was detained to ask a few questions.
As if just waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the AAP that seems to have become a force to reckon with less than two months to the Gujarat Assembly elections, the ruling BJP -- right from national leaders to the State -- have been going hammer and tongs against Italia over his remarks.
Italia, a Patidar leader who was part of Hardik Patel’s (now with the BJP) quota agitation for the community, had called Narendra Modi “neech” in a video claimed to be “four to five years old” and reportedly gone to the extent of saying that the Prime Minister was making ‘C’ (cuss word to convey making fools) of the entire country.
NCW chief Rekha Sharma had summoned him on Thursday through a notice stating, among other things, that “an insult of the Prime Minister is an insult of all women in the country” and that his comments in the video, which the NCW had sourced from a BJP Youth Wing leader’s tweet, were “misogynist”.
The Delhi Police reached the NCW when a huge number of AAP workers were staging protests outside the NCW chairperson’s office. Sharma told the Delhi Police that Italia’s supporters -- she referred to all of them as AAP hooligans in a tweet message -- tried to enter the NCW office “forcibly” and action should be taken against him “for creating a law and order situation.”
As for Italia’s video, NCW chairperson Sharma even tweeted her “interrogation” stating, “Italia’s verbal and written statements don’t match. He has not given a proper reply. He denied getting a summon, but his reply is ready. He also denied his presence in the video but in his reply, he accepts tweeting. He had claimed it was not him in the video,” Sharma said.
In another set, she wrote, “I had an important meeting at 2 pm which is now delayed as I could not step outside. If 100-150 people come and threaten me, what kind of a leader are they? He was supposed to come to the NCW office and only answer a few questions. Why did he have to lie and bring so many lawyers?” she added.
In another video that has also gone viral, Italia is seen mocking the prime minister and also asking women not to visit temples and attend ‘kathas (discourse by saints)’ as they are “hubs of exploitation”.
The October 9, NCW summons to him asserted, “An indecent word for prime minister is also an insult to the women of our country. The abusive language used by you is gender biased, misogynistic and extremely shameful, condemnable and unbecoming of you.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia have thrown their weight behind Italia. Sisodia asserted that, “Those who can’t even run schools properly are targeting Italia”.
Italia in a social media post said the NCW chief wanted to “put him in jail”. He asserted, “What can the Modi government do except jail members of the Patidar community? BJP hates the Patidar community. I am a descendant of Sardar Patel and not afraid of your jails.” Italia is a former Gujarat Government employee and has also worked as a police constable under the Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) category on contract.
In a tweet, Arvind Kejriwal wondered, “Why is the entire BJP after Gopal Italia?” while the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh posted: “Why @BJP4India has so much hatred for the people of Patidar community? @Gopal_Italia’s popularity started increasing in Gujarat. When the fear of defeat in the elections started looming, the BJP in Delhi got Gopal Italia arrested.”
