Rajya Sabha member M.V. Rajeev Gowda on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a public stand welcoming dissent and assuring the nation of his commitment to upholding freedom of expression even when it involves disagreement with the Prime Minister or the government.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Modi, the Congress leader said, “We would like to register our strong protest against the FIR lodged against the group of 49 concerned Indian citizens who had written to you.”
The MP was referring to an FIR lodged in Muzaffarpur last week against 49 celebrities, including Ramachandra Guha, Mani Ratnam and Aparna Sen, who had written an open letter to the PM raising concern over the growing incidents of mob lynching. “Since when has writing a letter of concern to the elected leader of the country, who is responsible for the welfare of each of its citizens irrespective of their caste, creed, gender, religion, or political opinion, become the trigger for an FIR?”
Pointing out that Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution guarantees every citizen the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, Mr. Gowda wrote, “We are proud citizens of India and revere the values embedded in its Constitution. We look to you, the Prime Minister of our country, to protect these values.”
