Congress Rajya Sabha MP MV Rajeev Gowda urges PM Modi to take public stand on welcoming dissent

In a letter to the PM, a copy of which was released to the media, Gowda questioned since writing a letter to an elected leader of the country has become a trigger for an FIR.

BENGALURU: After the police in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, filed an FIR against 49 celebrities for writing an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the rise in cases of mob lynching, Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Prof M V Rajeev Gowda, has urged the PM to take a public stand welcoming dissent.

In a letter to the PM, a copy of which was released to the media, Gowda questioned since writing a letter to an elected leader of the country has become a trigger for an FIR. “In the Naya Bharat that you promised the nation, are FIRs going to be filed every time a citizen is critical of the government or its policies?” the Congress MP questioned.

Strongly protesting against the FIR against the 49 people, who had written to the PM on July 23, Gowda urged the PM to assure the nation of his commitment to upholding freedom of expression, even when it involves disagreement with the PM and his government.

“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 blind to the problems that exist and impact Indian citizens, we risk becoming an authoritarian regime, contrary to the values enshrined in our Constitution,” he added.

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