Plaint against Sonia Gandhi in Bihar court for remark on President

BIHAR: A complaint was filed against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi before a court in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district on Saturday for her ‘poor thing’ remark on President Droupadi Murmu.

Sudhir Ojha, a Muzaffarpur-based lawyer, filed the complaint against Sonia Gandhi seeking registration of an FIR against her for allegedly disrespecting the highest constitutional authority in the country.

Ojha also named Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as co-accused and sought legal action against them as well.

“Sonia Gandhi has insulted President Murmu by making the ‘poor thing’ remark. It’s a disrespect to the highest constitutional authority in the country. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are co-accused in it. A case should be registered against them under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),” Ojha told reporters after filing the complaint before the CJM court in Muzaffarpur.

The court will hear the matter on February 10.

After the President’s joint address to Parliament ahead of the Budget session, Sonia Gandhi was asked by reporters outside the House about Murmu’s nearly hour-long speech.

“The President was getting very tired by the end… she could hardly speak, poor thing,” the former Congress chief was heard saying in clips in what appeared to be a reference to how long the address was.

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi described the speech as “boring” in one of the clips. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present there.

Hours later, the Rashtrapati Bhavan released a statement calling the remark “unacceptable” and saying that Murmu was not tired. Rashtrapati Bhavan condemned the remark, without naming Sonia Gandhi.

“While reacting to the media on the Hon’ble President’s address to Parliament, some prominent leaders of the Congress party have made comments that clearly hurt the dignity of the high office, and therefore are unacceptable,” Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.