"His popularity is increasing...": RJD's Mrityunjay Tiwari on FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi

Patna (Bihar) [India], January 21 (ANI): After an FIR was filed against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over his "India State" remarks, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mrityunjay Tiwari said that the Congress leader's popularity is increasing, which is why the BJP is becoming anxious and resorting to various kinds of conspiracies.
"You can file a case or an FIR against them, but Rahul Gandhi is winning the hearts of the people of the country. His popularity is increasing, and that is why they (BJP) are getting anxious and resorting to various kinds of conspiracies," the RJD leader said.
Both the RJD and Congress, along with other parties, are in alliance in Bihar under the 'Mahagathbandhan'.
Tiwari's defense of the Lok Sabha LoP came after an FIR was registered against him at the Pan Bazar Police Station in Guwahati.
Rahul Gandhi made the statement on January 15, 2025, during the inauguration of the Congress Party's new headquarters at Kotla Road in Delhi.
The FIR was registered under sections 152 and 197(1)d of the BNS for "acts endangering sovereignty unity and integrity of India," a cognisable and non-bailable offence.
"Our ideology, like the RSS ideology, is thousands of years old and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself," Gandhi had said.
On Monday, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla defended Rahul Gandhi and said that the BJP twisted Gandhi's statement and registered false FIRs against him.
"... BJP twists his (Rahul Gandhi's) statements and registers false FIRs against him, and that too in the states where they are in power. So that the police would favour them and harass Rahul Gandhi... They have done this earlier in the BJP-governed states... And then the SC had to intervene... It is their habit to harass the Opposition to retain the power..." Congress MP said. (ANI)