'Is jumla an objectionable word? Will continue to speak truth': Tejashwi on FIR lodged in Maharashtra

Tejashwi Yadav said, "Who is afraid of an FIR? Is jumla an objectionable word? I was simply telling the truth. And I will continue to do so. They may lodge as many cases against me as they please."

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said that he was "not afraid" of an FIR lodged in BJP-ruled Maharashtra, over his social media post about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he will "continue to speak the truth".

An FIR has been registered against Tejashwi Yadav in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli over an alleged objectionable post and defamatory content against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the social media platform X, in which he had alleged that Modi's promises to the people were a "jumla" (rhetoric). Yadav posted the comment ahead of the PM's tour of Bihar on Friday.

Yadav told PTI, "Who is afraid of an FIR? Is jumla an objectionable word? I was simply telling the truth. And I will continue to do so. They may lodge as many cases against me as they please." The former Bihar deputy CM spoke while touring fish markets and makhana fields in the north Bihar district of Katihar, along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is touring the state as part of the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra'.

The day's Yatra is scheduled to conclude at Purnea town, around 30 km away.

RJD leaders in Bihar have strongly criticised the filing of an FIR against Yadav in Maharashtra, calling it politically motivated and an attempt to suppress opposition voices.

Speaking in Katihar, RJD leader Sanjay Yadav questioned the grounds of the FIR, arguing that Tejashwi was only reminding people of unfulfilled promises made by the BJP.

"What kind of words did he (Tejashwi Yadav) use? Who promised to give Rs 15 lakh in every citizen's bank account? Who promised to deliver 2 crore jobs every year? Who promised to give a special package and special status to Bihar? Who promised to develop Bihar?... If reminding him about his promises to Bihar, you should file an FIR in every district of the country... Why file an FIR by just one MLA?" Sanjay Yadav said.

He also said, "What is the point in lodging FIRs in far-off states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Assam? The BJP shares power in Bihar, too. If they have the guts, let them lodge an FIR here. I also challenge all BJP MLAs across the country to lodge FIRs against our leader."

Notably, the FIR at Gadchiroli is said to have been filed on Friday following a complaint by Maharashtra's Gadchiroli BJP MLA Milind Narote.

Echoing the sentiment, RJD spokesperson Shakti Singh Yadav accused the ruling BJP of double standards.

"Did the Election Commission take any action or file an FIR against PM Modi for hate speech... However, this does happen with opposition people frequently. But who is scared of this? When the government becomes fearful of the anger of the common people, it will seek support from the court and police. But we will not be scared of this. We will challenge them face-to-face. PM Modi is so scared of this," he remarked.

The FIR has been registered at Gadchiroli Police Station under 196(1)(a)(b), 356(2)(3), 352, 353(2) sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the FIR copy, the alleged objectionable posts were made against Prime Minister Modi's visit to Gaya Ji district of Bihar on Friday, where he had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth Rs 13000 crores for the state.

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav, who is also taking part in the Yatra, dubbed the FIR as an instance of "political vendetta".

The former Bihar Congress president added, "The BJP should know that we belong to a political lineage which fought the British without getting cowed down. We are not the ones to be intimidated by the likes of Modi and Amit Shah."

With inputs from agencies