Bhubaneswar: BJP national spokesperson and Puri MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday said CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das do not belong to the Gen-Z age group and claimed their judicial custody was due to violation of a peace bond, not their attempt to hoist the national flag.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, Patra said a false narrative was being spread that the duo was sent to judicial custody for attempting to unfurl the Tricolour. A narrative was being circulated across the country that individuals who simply wished to hoist the national flag were stopped by a dictatorial government, Patra said, adding that enemies of the country were misleading people by claiming they were detained only for wanting to unfurl the flag.
Referring to Delhi High Court proceedings, Patra said the court had raised questions about their identity and age. The two are aged 27 and 31 years and therefore do not belong to Gen-Z, he said.It is now clear that their judicial custody was not because of their desire to hoist the Tiranga, but because they failed to uphold the terms of a peace bond they had previously signed, Patra said.
According to Patra, the two were initially detained on October 10 and released after signing a peace bond undertaking not to engage in activities that could lead to breach of peace, but violated it within hours of release.
The victim card being played in the name of the Tricolour has been exposed, he said. Patra further alleged that the protests had initially started with youth taking to streets over NEET question paper leak, but the issue has changed while the individuals remain the same. This shows the movement taking place across the country appears to be orchestrated by the same group with a pre-planned agenda, he said.
Quoting an observation he attributed to the court, Patra said the National Flag does not provide legal immunity to incite anarchy using the flag as a cover and protests can spiral into arson, looting and destruction if organisers lose control.
The BJP leader also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of attempting to foment unrest similar to that witnessed in countries where democratic institutions are less vibrant than in India.
