Mumbai court summons Rahul Gandhi over 'Chowkidar' jibe

A metropolitan magistrate court in Girgaum has issued summons to Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed against him in November 2018 by a BJP worker.

Rahul has been directed to appear before the court on October 3. According to the complaint by Mahesh Shrishrimal, Rahul had defamed the prime minister on a live telecast on September 20, 2018 by saying in a public rally in Rajasthan 'Modiji ne kaha tha main desh ka PM nahi banna chahta hoon, main desh ka chowkidar banna chahta hoon, aur aaj desh ke dil main ek nayi awaaz uth raha hai, ki gali gali mein shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai.' (Modiji had said he does not want to become the PM of the country, that he wanted to become its watchman and today in the heart of the country, a new voice is rising, that in every lane there is news, country's watchman is a thief.)

This, the BJP worker, who claims to be associated with the party for over two decades, said he defamed the PM as well as members of the BJP. The complaint also mentions a remark made on Twitter by Rahul in which he has said, 'The sad truth of India's Commander-in-Thief' while sharing a video.

The complaint said, "...being member of the BJP and holding responsible position in the party, which is under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the complainant is aggrieved by the defamatory remarks of 'Chor' and 'Choro ke sardar' and hence is filing the present complaint for taking action against the accused for making such libelous defamatory statements."