Modi govt should serve NIA notice on Arnab, not farmers: Jakhar

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 19 

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday criticised the BJP-led Union government for serving notices to the “peacefully” protesting farmers through the National Investigation Agency (NIA) while letting off journalist Arnab Goswami.

“If anyone deserves to be investigated by the NIA right now it is Arnab Goswami who not only breached the Official Secrets Act but also compromised national security by sharing classified details with others,” Jakhar said in a statement.

He urged farmers to bring up the matter in their meeting with Union ministers on Wednesday, saying it was their children who worked in the defence forces whose security had been jeopardized by Arnab.

The PPCC President said that the information was apparently leaked to Goswami on national security issues by some moles sitting in the PMO or the defence ministry. Those moles needed to be identified and exposed, as they pose a very grave risk to the national security, he said, adding that strong action needed to be taken to deter leaks in future.

Jakhar asked what if the secret information prior to Balakot strike which Goswami shared with his friend would have landed with the Pakistani Army.

“It would have jeopardized the life and security of our air force personnel,” he remarked, while adding, instead of making the people of the country elated, as Goswami claims in his Whatsapp conversations, it would have led to grief and tragedy.

He advised the Modi government that instead of serving NIA notices to the peacefully protesting farmers, it should serve it to Goswami and summon him for questioning.

“What has come out is just parts of a single conversation and we don’t know to what extent Goswami has used this information to manipulate his channel’s TRP”, he pointed out, suggesting that Goswami might also be acting as a double agent.

He’s positioning himself as the first one on the spot at Pulwama when a ghastly attack on our brave security forces happened there, points towards his knowing what Pakistan was up to.

The PPCC president said, the government of India will never take action against Goswami but has instead been targeting the peaceful farmers in sheer frustration.

“Intimidating of farmers through the use of NIA not only shows its moral bankruptcy but also proves how jittery the Modi government is”, he remarked.

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