FIR against celebrities: Shashi Tharoor writes to PM, expresses 'strong protest'
Thiruvananthapuram: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing "strong protest" over the registering of an FIR against 49 eminent citizens who had raised concerns about the rising mob lynching cases.
In his letter dated October 7, the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram also said those criticising the prime minister should not be considered "anti-nationals".
Tharoor urged Modi to take a public stand welcoming dissent and assure the nation of his "commitment to upholding Freedom of Expression even when it involves disagreement with you or your government."
India's history as an independent nation would have been a different one if those who dissented under the British Raj had not shown the courage to do so, he said.
"We are deeply disturbed by the FIR filed in Muzaffarpur, Bihar against a group of 49 concerned Indian citizens, who wrote a letter to you, on July 23, 2019, highlighting the rise of mob lynchings in the country," he said in the letter.
"We would like to register out strong protest against the FIR," he added.
Tharoor said, "Mob lynching, whether triggered by communal hatred or triggered by rumours of child kidnapping, has become a disease that is spreading rapidly, and these citizens did the right thing in bringing it to your notice."
Pointing out that there was no democracy without dissent, he said India had been built on the "bedrock of co-existence of diverse and often diverging views and ideologies".
"That is what makes India a successful and vibrant democracy," he added.
"As citizens of India, we hope that everyone of us can fearlessly bring to your notice, issues of national importance so that you can take the lead to address them. We would like to believe that you too would support the right to Freedom of Expression so that the 'mann ki baat' of the well-meaning citizens of India does not turn into a 'maun ki baat," he said.
Tharoor also pointed out that Modi while addressing a joint meeting of the US Congress in 2016, had said the Constitution was a "real holy book" of his government.
"However, some of the actions of your government have contradicted your statement. Does this mean that you have changed your opinion on these fundamental issues?" Tharoor asked.
An FIR was filed at Muzaffarpur in Bihar on October 3 against 50 eminent persons, including Ramchandra Guha, Mani Ratnam, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Aparna Sen, who had written an open letter to the prime minister, raising their concern over growing incidents of mob lynching.
"Those who criticise or have opposing views to yours should not be deemed enemies or anti-national. Without criticism there can be no improvement. If we are all blind to the problems that exists and impact Indian citizens, we risk becoming an authoritarian regime, contrary to the values enshrined in our Constitution," Tharoor said.
The former Union minister also wanted to know since when had writing a letter to the elected leader of the country become the trigger for an FIR.
"In the Naya Bharat that you have promised the nation, are FIRs going to be filed every time a citizen is critical of the government or its policies? Is this Naya Bharat that you wish to create, one where citizens shall not be heard and their concerns not addressed?
"Is this Naya Bharat that you envisioned one where all parties and individuals disagreeing with the ruling majority will be outlawed and treated as enemies of the state?" Tharoor asked.
He also asked whether this was the "Naya Bharat where journalists are arrested for exposing failures of governance". The FIR was lodged after a chief judicial magistrate passed an order on a petition filed against the celebrities before his court.
The petition had claimed that the celebrities allegedly "tarnished the image of the country and undermined the impressive performance of the prime minister" besides "supporting secessionist tendencies".
Ace film director Adoor Gopalakrishnan had on Friday expressed concern over the FIR, saying it was undemocratic and will create doubts about the law and order system in the country.
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Raj Thackeray questions need for NEET, demands Pradhan’s resignation
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Thursday questioned the need for NEET-UG and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seek the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
Thackeray's demand comes amid massive protests over the cancellation of the examination following allegations of paper leak.
The MNS chief said the government is so “obsessed” with bringing everything under a centralised authority that it appears to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into “disarray”.
In a post on X, Thackeray said that for several years now, a single individual (Pradhan) has remained entrenched in the position of Union education minister. Despite numerous “irregularities” and “scandals” within the NEET framework during his tenure, this “gentleman” continues to occupy the post, he said.
“One wonders: has he been rewarded with this continued tenure because he is so zealously pursuing the agenda of imposing the Hindi language across the entire nation? I earnestly appeal to the Prime Minister: please demand the immediate resignation of this Minister of yours, who has repeatedly toyed with the lives and future of 22 lakh students,” Thackeray said.
The National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities”. The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.
Thackeray said the Centre continues its tradition of creating “chaos” in every matter and holding the public to ransom. The “NEET paper leak” has proved this once again, he said.
Thackeray sought to know what the Centre did when it found out the alleged malpractice. It merely cancelled the examination and ordered a CBI inquiry, he said.
In 2024, a CBI inquiry was ordered in a similar case, but nothing substantial was achieved through it, he said.
The government projects an air of having fulfilled its duty in all of this. But what about the lives of 22 lakh students and their families, who have been left hanging in the balance, he asked.
Thackeray said fundamentally, there was no need to “impose” NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test)-UG back in 2016.
“However, this government’s obsession with bringing everything under a single, centralised authority is so intense that, to them, it seems to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into disarray,” he said.
The MNS chief also asked ministers within the Maharashtra government to show some “spine” and join voices with those of the southern states and oppose this system.
Thackeray said leaders from the southern states have voiced their opposition in much the same way as he. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has also demanded the cancellation of NEET. The reason for this is that the five southern states, combined with Maharashtra, collectively possess over 350 medical colleges, whereas the large states in the north have only 180 medical colleges, he said.
Consequently, this persistent push that began in 2016 is essentially an attempt to facilitate the “entry of students from the north into medical colleges in the south”, alleged Thackeray. To ensure this, the largest network of coaching classes has been established in the northern states, he claimed.
