Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has been summoned by the Delhi Police in relation to an altered video of Home Minister Amit Shah. Four other individuals, all from Telangana, have also been issued notices to participate in the inquiry into the case.
The video in question was reportedly shared by the official X handle of the Telangana Congress, and was subsequently reposted by numerous party leaders. The reposts claimed that the video revealed the BJP’s “plan to abolish SC/ST reservation quotas.”
Following complaints by the BJP and the Home Ministry about the edited video being widely circulated on social media platforms, the Delhi Police registered a case. In the doctored video, the Home Minister appeared to advocate for the abolition of reservation quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
In response to the complaints, the police initiated a probe and filed a case under Sections 153, 153A, 465, 469, 171G of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 66C of the Information Technology (IT) Act. Notices were also sent to the X and Facebook, requesting information on the accounts that uploaded and shared the video.
The BJP has asserted that the video was manipulated to distort Mr. Shah’s original statements made during a political rally. BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya stated, “The Congress is disseminating an edited video which is entirely fabricated and has the potential to incite widespread violence. Home Minister Amit Shah discussed the removal of the unconstitutional reservation given to Muslims, based on religion, after reducing the share of SCs/STs and OBCs.”
Mr. Malviya alleged that the “counterfeit video” was posted by several Congress spokespersons and warned, “They must be prepared for legal consequences.” Amid the ongoing controversy, Amit Shah reaffirmed on Sunday that as long as the BJP-led NDA was in power, there would be no reconsideration of reservations or quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.
He also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his claim that the BJP intends to revoke reservations if elected for a third term. “Rahul Gandhi is attempting to mislead people by spreading false accusations against us. The BJP has been leading this country for 10 years now and has been elected with an absolute majority twice.
If we had truly been working with the intention or motivation to end reservations in the country, it would have already happened. These are nothing but falsehoods,” Mr. Shah told ANI. Rahul Gandhi had previously claimed that the BJP-led Centre intends to amend the country’s Constitution and revoke the reservations and other rights of the backward communities and Dalits.
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