Pragya Kaushika
New Delhi
The controversy over Congress’s alleged use of toolkit to tarnish the image of PM Modi over handling of Covid-19 intensified on Wednesday as the BJP revealed the identity of the alleged author of the document as Congress’s research wing member.
Responding to the Congress assertion that the document shown by the BJP was fake and its threat to lodge an FIR against BJP President JP Nadda, senior BJP leader and party spokesperson Sambit Patra stated the party had itself exposed the author of the toolkit.
Patra, with details collated by domain experts of the toolkit in hand, named Saumya Verma as the author of the toolkit that aimed to defame the PM and the country by directing to call Covid strain B.1.617 as “Indian Variant” or “Modi variant”.
Patra, with details collated by domain experts, named Saumya Varma as the author of the toolkit that aimed to defame the PM and the country by directing to call Covid strain as ‘Indian variant’ or ‘Modi variant’.
Patra said Varma according to her profile is a member of the research wing of All India Congress Committee (AICC) and works directly for Congress leader Professor Rajeev Gowda.
The BJP leader presented papers of the toolkit author where the name of the project was given as ‘Central vista vanity project AICC Research’ along with various photographs of Varma with Rahul Gandhi and Gowda as a member of the AICC research team.
Ramdev: Maligning Kumbh, Hinduism conspiracy: Yoga guru Ramdev alleged there is a bid to malign the Kumbh and Hinduism with the help of a toolkit and termed it as a "political conspiracy".
Ramdev, in a video message, urged the people to boycott "such power" who are against the country.
He said, "Maligning the image of Kumbh and Hinduism with the help of a toolkit is a political conspiracy. I request people, who are politicising the matter, do whatever you want to do but do not disrespect 100 crore Hindus. This is disgusting. I urge people to boycott such power.”
PIL in SC seeks NIA probe into toolkit on Covid, suspension of Cong’s political party status: A PIL was filed on Tuesday seeking a probe into toolkit on Covid-19 pandemic by the NIA and suspension of membership of the Congress if the allegations against them are found to be true. Lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha made the INC, Union of India (UOI), and EC as respondents in his PIL before the SC.
