BJP attacks Congress over 'toolkit', latter hits back with police case: All you need to know

A war of words erupted on Tuesday between the BJP and the Congress after the former accused the latter of using the Covid pandemic to malign Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image.

Hitting back at the BJP, Congress accused it of propagating a fake 'toolkit' and filed a complaint with the Delhi Police Commissioner.

The Congress on Tuesday wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner seeking registration of FIR against BJP president JP Nadda, Union Minister Smriti Irani, party spokesperson Sambit Patra, party leader BL Santhosh and others alleging that they had shared "forged and fabricated documents with the intent to create communal disharmony and civil unrest" and to "divert attention from Modi government's failure in providing necessary aid to people amidst the current pandemic".

The entire controversy erupted after BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra took to Twitter on Tuesday and shared a page, saying, "Friends look at the Congress 'ToolKit' in extending help to the needy during the Pandemic. More of a PR exercise with the help of 'Friendly Journalists' and 'Influencers' than a soulful endeavor. Read for yourselves the agenda of the Congress: CongressToolKitExposed."

Levelling further allegations against Congress and Rahul Gandhi, Patra tweeted, "Disgusting to say the least. Rahul Gandhi wanting to use this opportunity of pandemic to destroy the image of PM Modi. Congress workers were instructed to call the mutant strain as `Modi strain`. No stone left unturned to scar the name of India with the help of Foreign Journalists."

Countering Patra's claims, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said the Congress has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against Smriti Irani, JP Nadda, Sambit Patra, BL Santosh and others for circulating the fake toolkit by forging the letterhead of the Congress' research department.

Khera said, "Today we have seen the fabrication face of BJP as they forged the letterhead of the Congress research department."

The Congress letter to the police commissioner has been signed by Rajeev Gowda, Chairman, AICC research department, and Rohan Gupta, Chairman of social media department of the party. It said that letterhead of AICC Research Department had been "forged" and "false and fabricated content" printed on it.

"Through the present complaint, we seek to register an FIR against BJP president JP Nadda, national spokesperson Sambit Patra, Union Minister Smriti Irani and BJP general secretary BL Santosh and other such persons for forging the letterhead of AICC Research Department and thereafter printing false and fabricated content on the same, in order to share the forged/ BJP manufactured document from their verified Twitter handles and other social media platforms, with the intent to create communal disharmony and civil unrest in the country among individuals, escalating violence, fueling hate and spreading fake news," the letter said.

"The hidden agenda of this team of fraudsters was to divert the attention from the Modi Government's mammoth failure in providing necessary aid to the people of India, amidst the current pandemic," it added.

The letter alleged that the BJP leaders had put into use their "criminal intentions to hatch a pre-planned conspiracy in order to spark unrest in the country and also to spread fake news against the Indian National Congress".

"Further the said fake material has been put into circulation by various BJP leaders and ministers under the Twitter hashtag#CongressToolkit Exposed," the letter said.

It said the BJP functionaries "have not only stooped to manufacture fake documents to target Indian National Congress but have also attempted to lower the image of India at various public platforms".

It said that Congress and "lakhs of Indians are providing community relief during COVID throughout the country from March 2020".

The letter also has also attached tweets of BJP leaders. It said the "fake news is being shared" by BJP functionaries in delicate and tough times "when the nation is fighting to survive against COVID-19 virus". The letter said it was "delicate and emotional time when many families have lost their loved ones to COVID-19 virus".

"Sambit Patra, BL Santhosh, Smriti Irani, JP Nadda and others are liable to be prosecuted under relevant sections of the IPC and IT Act. Kindly register an FIR on basis of the above complaint and punish them strictly in accordance with the law," the letter said.

(With agency inputs)