CPI(M) MP John Brittas was called to the office of Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar over an article critical of Home Minister Amit Shah written by the Left leader, following a complaint lodged by a BJP functionary.
"Yes, I was called for a meeting over an article I wrote and I explained sufficiently my position on the issue. I told the Rajya Sabha chairman that writing the article was my fundamental right and part of my freedom of expression. If a cryptic remark can be made on Kerala, I am fully free to respond," he said.
"What's happening now is (an attempt) to silence those MPs who are speaking (up) against the BJP," Brittas said, denying that any showcause notice was sent to him on the issue, as reported by certain sections of the media.
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Parliament sources confirmed that such a meeting took place. They said a copy of the complaint by P Sudheer, general secretary of the BJP's Kerala unit, over Brittas' February 20 opinion piece "Perils of Propaganda", criticising a remark made by Shah on Kerala, was later sent to the Left leader.
According to a report by Indian Express, Brittas’s article was called “highly divisive and polarising”. Sudheer sought “suitable action against the seditious conduct of the member of Rajya Sabha and appropriate steps/ guidelines to prevent further provocative, divisive seditious and communally polarising speeches/articles”.
In his article, Brittas wrote: “This is not the first time that he (Shah) has made such innuendos against a state whose people have steadfastly rejected his majoritarian politics… Shah’s slur is symptomatic of his penchant for muscular posturing and dislike of a state where the BJP has miserably failed in garnering electoral gains through its usual set of divisive tricks and polarising poll strategies,” according to the report
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(With inputs from PTI)
