Calling him a “serial offender”, the BJP on Thursday shared another video of AAP Gujarat unit chief Gopal Italia where he can be purportedly heard using derogatory language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100-year-old mother. The saffron party’s IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya said the Aam Aadmi Party leader “treats women with contempt and sexist disregard.”
Sharing a video on Twitter, Malviya said, “Gopal Italia, AAP’s Gujarat President, a close aide of Kejriwal, is a serial offender, who treats women with contempt and sexist disregard.”
Gopal Italia, AAP’s Gujarat President, close aide of Kejriwal, is a serial offender, who treats women with contempt and sexist disregard. After constantly referring to women with the “C” word, offending those who go to katha and mandir, now calls PM’s aged mother “nautanki baaz”. pic.twitter.com/mQcyYz5C9L
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 13, 2022
Earlier in the day, Italia was detained for more than 2.5 hours by the Delhi Police after he appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with his alleged comments against PM Modi amid protests by party members outside the women’s panel’s office in Delhi. According to senior police officials, a complaint was received claiming Italia’s supporters were creating a ruckus outside the NCW building following which a team of police reached the spot and detained him. However, he was later released.
Soon after his release, Italia held a press conference and said, “I have not received any notice. I came to know from social media. We respect women. So, I appeared before NCW to place my side of the story. First my lawyer was stopped. We were told that I have to go alone.”
Accusing NCW chairperson of “misbehaving” with him, Italia claimed, “…I was taken to the first floor. I knocked on her room, ‘May I come in?’. She replied arrogantly, ‘You are batameez, etc.’ I was treated badly, threatened to be sent to jail. ‘What is your aukat’ – this went on for two minutes. Then I left and went to meet my lawyer. Commission got the police. Then, I was told I was supposed to sit in front of the police. Someone was taking a video and I asked for its copy. All together they started to threaten me.”
Reacting to police action against the AAP leader, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Italia’s detention had triggered massive anger in the Patel community across Gujarat. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal also asked why “entire BJP” was after Italia.
Kejriwal’s deputy Manish Sisodia termed Italia’s detention as “BJP politics” and alleged that he had been “detained because he belonged to a party that knew how to transform schools”.
NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma had summoned Italia for using “abusive and indecent language” against PM Modi and said his comment was “gender biased, misogynist and condemnable”. She told reporters after the hearing that Italia, in his verbal statement, had claimed that he was not the person in the video. However, in his written response, he said he did not mean it.
An NCW official said the commission had to rush to arrange a translator to record Italia’s statement as he started speaking in Gujarati in the middle of the hearing. After the hearing, the police detained Italia, drawing flak from the AAP.
The BJP’s IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya had on Sunday shared a video on Twitter where Italia could be heard calling PM Modi a “neech aadmi” (lowly person) following which the NCW took cognisance.
“An indecent word for the prime minister is also an insult to the women of our country. The abusive language used by you is gender biased, misogynistic and extremely shameful, condemnable and unbecoming of you,” the NCW had said in its summons issued on October 9.
On Monday, the AAP defended Italia over his alleged remarks and hit back at the BJP, saying it was using an old video to target Italia now as he hailed from a poor family and belonged to the Patidaar community.
Launching a counter attack, the AAP also shared a purported video of BJP MP Parvesh Verma in which he could be heard using certain derogatory words against Kejriwal and demanded that the saffron party either clarify its stand on the remarks or take action against him.
(with inputs from PTI)
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