According to Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, efforts are being made to spread the message that the Indian judicial system and democracy are in trouble. Rijiju stated that the wisdom of judges was above public scrutiny while kicking off a session of the Centre's attorneys in the Eastern states in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
Rijiju tweeted "a short clip" of his speech from the conference, urging the "Tukde-Tukde Gang" to recognise that India is on the path to "great rejuvenation" under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The BJP often uses the “tukde-tukde gang” remark coined in the aftermath of a JNU protest in Delhi in 2016.
Rijiju's comments came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a lecture at Cambridge University alleged that Indian democracy is under attack and several politicians, including himself, are under surveillance. Gandhi listed five key aspects of the alleged attack on Indian democracy - capture and control of media and judiciary; surveillance and intimidation; coercion by federal law enforcement agencies; attacks on minorities, Dalits and tribals; and shutting down of dissent.
“Indian Judiciary is independent. And Indian Judiciary can never be forced to play the roles of opposition Party. No body can even question Indian democracy because democracy runs in our blood,” Rijiju tweeted.
“These gang get active support from Anti-India foreign entities to launch frontal attack against India. Systematically they will assault the credibility of the Indian democracy, Indian Govt, Judiciary & all Critical Organs like Defence, Election Commision, Investigating Agencies… The Members of Tukde-Tukde Gang should better understand that India has embarked upon journey of great rejuvenation under the leadership of @narendramodi Ji. We the people of INDIA will give them a befitting reply,” the Union law minister wrote in a series of tweets.
BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of tarnishing India's image
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Gandhi of tarnishing India’s image on a global platform and stooping low to destroy the country’s fabric. “You (Gandhi) are not a bright kid doesn’t mean that India is not in a bright spot. India is bright and India is doing good,” BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said in New Delhi on Saturday.
“Indian judiciary cannot be questioned, especially the wisdom of judges cannot be put into public scrutiny,” Rijiju said.
"At times, calibrated attempts are being made from both inside and outside the country to tell the world that the Indian judiciary is in crisis. A message is being sent to the world that Indian democracy is in crisis. It is a deliberate attempt by some groups to malign the image of the country," he added.
No campaign with ulterior motives can succeed in defaming India and its democratic setup, Rijiju said. The US may stake claim to be the oldest democracy, but India truly is the “mother of democracy”, he said.
