Mallikarjun Kharge calls Pawan Khera's arrest as "Hitlershahi"

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday came down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre after party leader Pawan Khera was arrested in Delhi, and alleged that the Narendra Modi government has turned "India's democracy into a Hitlershahi".

"Notice is given if the opposition raises issues in Parliament. ED raids are conducted on our leaders of Chhattisgarh before the plenary session. Today the media chairman was forcibly taken off the plane and arrested. The Modi government has turned India's democracy into a Hitlership. We strongly condemn this dictatorship," Kharge tweeted in Hindi.

This comes after Khera was arrested by Assam Police on Thursday in Delhi. He was earlier deboarded from a flight while en route to Raipur to attend Congress Plenary Session.

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday said that he is "ready to fight the long battle" soon after Assam Police arrested him. Khera will be taken to Assam on transit remand.

"We will see (in which case they are taking me). It's a long battle and I'm ready to fight," said Khera as Delhi Police took him after he was deboarded from an aircraft at Delhi airport.

Delhi Police said that a request was received from Assam Police for assistance in the arrest of accused Pawan Khera in case FIR No. 19/2023, PS Dima Hasao, District Haflong, Assam.

"Based upon the same, requisite local assistance was provided and upon the requisition of Assam Police, accused Shri Pawan Khera was detained from Terminal 1 of IGI Airport and has been subsequently arrested by the IO concerned of Assam Police," a Delhi Police official told ANI.

"Necessary legal action shall follow," they added. It is pertinent to mention that earlier today Pawan Khera was stopped from boarding a plane at Delhi airport after a request was received from the Assam Police to stop him," Delhi Police said on Thursday.

Earlier, the Assam Police registered a case against the Congress leader in the Dima Hasao district. The Congress leaders protested after Khera was stopped by Delhi Police from boarding the plane at the airport. In a video shared on Congress's Twitter handle, Pawan Khera said that he does not know why was he deboarded.

"I don't know. I was told that your baggage has to be checked. I said I do not have any luggage except a handbag. When I came down, I was told that I cannot go, a DCP would come. We are waiting for the DCP for the last 20 minutes. I don't know why I am being stopped," he said.

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate alleged that the Congress leaders were en route to Chhattisgarh's Raipur to attend the party's 85th Plenary Session when Khera was asked to deboard. She accused the BJP government of "dictatorship".

"We were going from Delhi to Raipur by Indigo flight 6E-204. Pawan Khera, KC Venugopal, Randeep Surjewala was also with us. We were heading to Raipur for the Congress Plenary Session. Pawar Khera was taken away stating that his bag has been exchanged but he was not carrying check-in baggage. He was then told that he had been deplaned and a DSP of CISF would come and serve him notice. If this is not a dictatorship, then what is it? Would you stop people from boarding the flight? The dictator got ED raids done before the session and now the government has come down to this kind of act," she said in a video tweeted by the Congress party.

She further asked the sections under which action was being taken against Khera and said that they would not board the flight to Raipur until the Congress leader is allowed to board along with others.

"What wrong has he done that this action is being taken? The action is being taken under which sections, they will have to tell. We will keep standing here until the flight departs along with all of us including Pawan Khera," she said.

KC Venugopal who was also accompanying the group, tweeted, "Modi govt is acting like a bunch of goons by deplaning @Pawankhera ji from the Delhi-Raipur flight and preventing him from joining the AICC Plenary. Using a flimsy FIR to restrict his movement & silence him is a shameful, unacceptable act. The entire party stands with Pawan ji."

"Today we were going for the Congress Plenary Sessoin to Raipur, and our colleague Pawan Khera was told that he left his luggage but he was not carrying any luggage. Then the Police came and said Assam Police has registered an FIR," Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

"We asked them to show an arrest warrant but they did not show any order. It is completely illegal Assam and Delhi Police have stopped our flight forcefully," Surjewala added.