Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi takes swipe at Rahul Gandhi

BJP and Congress leaders have been involved in a slugfest following the Gujarat High Court's dismissal of Gandhi's plea to suspend his conviction in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' jibe.

New Delhi: Former Union minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Saturday that "freedom of voice" does not mean a "license for free-style noise", as he took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Addressing a programme to mark the birth anniversary of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Naqvi said that misusing freedom of speech has become a conspiracy against democratic and constitutional values of the country.

BJP and Congress leaders have been involved in a slugfest following the Gujarat High Court's dismissal of Gandhi's plea to suspend his conviction in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' jibe. Naqvi said some people harp on about fundamental rights but they conveniently and deliberately forget fundamental duties. Both rights and duties are our moral and national responsibility, he said, according to a statement.

Opposition parties are in collusion to compete with the "confidence, courage and charisma" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his commitment to perform, reform and transform, he claimed. These parties know well that they cannot defeat Modi irrespective of the fact whether they fight alone or they form an alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Naqvi said.

The Congress and some other opposition parties were under the same delusion in 2018 also after their good performance in assembly elections but the "arithmetic of Modi" spoiled their mathematics, he said. (PTI)