‘Am fire, not flower’: Jignesh Mevani challenges PM Modi in ‘Pushpa’ style

New Delhi, May 2

Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani enacted a gesture from Telugu movie ‘Pushpa — The Rise’ and mouthed its dialogue to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he was released by the Assam Police on Monday.

“Modi ji you are from Gujarat and I am from Gujarat too. You should understand and as my colleague said, ‘flower nahin, fire hai, jhukega nahin’ (not a flower, but fire, will not bend). It’s my challenge to you Prime Minister of India,” Mevani told reporters here.

On Monday, Mevani alleged that “Some Godse bhakts” in the Prime Minister’s Office had got FIRs registered against him and termed his arrest by the Assam Police a “pre-planned conspiracy” to destroy him ahead of assembly elections in the state.

The Independent legislator from Vadgam who has pledged his support to the Congress was picked up by the Assam Police from Gujarat on April 19 and taken to the northeastern state after a purported tweet that Modi “considered Godse as God”.

After being released on bail in the case, the Dalit leader was rearrested on charges of assaulting a policewoman. A court in Barpeta granted him bail in the case and urged the Gauhati High Court to consider directing the Assam Police to reform itself to ‘prevent registration of false FIR like the present case…”