Muzaffarpur (PTI): A complaint was filed against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi before a court in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district for her 'poor thing' remark on President Droupadi Murmu.
Sudhir Ojha, a Muzaffarpur-based lawyer, filed a complaint on Saturday against Gandhi seeking registration of an FIR against her for allegedly disrespecting the country's highest constitutional authority.
Ojha also named Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as co-accused and sought legal action against them as well.
"Sonia Gandhi has insulted President Murmu by making the 'poor thing' remark. It's a disrespect to the highest constitutional authority in the country. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are co-accused in it. A case should be registered against them under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," Ojha told reporters after filing the complaint before the CJM court in Muzaffarpur.
The court will hear the matter on February 10.
After the President's joint address to Parliament ahead of the Budget session, Sonia Gandhi was asked by reporters outside the House about Murmu's nearly hour-long speech.
"The President was getting very tired by the end... she could hardly speak, poor thing," Sonia Gandhi, the former Congress chief, was heard saying in clips in what appeared to be a reference to how long the address was.
Rahul Gandhi described the speech as "boring" in one of the clips. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present there.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan had, later, released a statement, calling the remark "unacceptable" and saying that Murmu was not tired. Rashtrapati Bhavan condemned the remark, without naming Sonia Gandhi.
"While reacting to the media on the Hon'ble President's address to Parliament, some prominent leaders of the Congress party have made comments that clearly hurt the dignity of the high office, and therefore are unacceptable," Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.
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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
