The Aam Aadmi Party Tuesday came to the defence of party MLA Amanatullah Khan, after a video surfaced in which the legislator from Okhla was seen using derogatory language against the Narendra Modi government. The party maintained that the comments by the Okhla MLA were “not a personal attack on the Prime Minister but a justified complaint against the central government.” In the video, Khan was seen backing Delhi-based Islamic scholar Mufti Abdus Sami, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in early February over the agency’s ‘open FIR’ against the Islamic State. The video was recorded on February 16, while Khan was addressing a gathering at the Red Fort during a mushaira. Admitting that he had used derogatory language against the Narendra Modi-led government, Khan told The Indian Express, “Yes, I have used the word ha... for the central government because it has been denying the poor and the minorities their rights. It has been batting for the industrialists and the haves and depriving the have-nots. The literal meaning of the word ha... is one who takes away what does not belong to him. Is this not what the Modi government is doing by depriving the minorities and the poor?” During his speech, the MLA also urged members of the Muslim community to ‘gherao’ Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence. The video showed Khan telling the audience, “If all of you decide to gherao the Home Minister’s residence.Delhi has a huge Muslim population. If you start doing that, I can assure you that the government will not dare to touch your children.” The MLA alleged that police had “no evidence against Sami”, adding, “I was told by police that he is involved in influencing the youth to join anti-national forces. An atmosphere of terror is being created. All of you have to fight against it. I will, very soon, ask you to come and hold protests to seek the release of Sami and you have to come.” On defending Sami at the event, the MLA said, “I asked the gathering to demonstrate against the injustice done to Sami. It is our constitutional right. Whoever speaks out against the Modi government becomes an anti-national. But it is our right to do so and also to hold peaceful demonstrations.” Defending Singh, AAP leader and spokesperson Sanjay Singh said, “Though I would insist that one choose one’s words carefully, what Amanatullah said holds true. Literally the word ha... means jo ha. ka khaata ho. Though it might sound offensive and a better word could have been used, it is not entirely unjustified. The government has harassed the Delhi government so much that our legislators are offended and therefore tend to react sharply,” said Singh. The AAP leader added, “Our leaders are still better behaved as compared to those from the BJP. The hate speech by Ram Shankar Katheria in Agra is outright offensive and if any of our MLAs said anything like that, they (BJP) would have hanged us.”
