Congress leader Asif (Raju) Sait has clarified that the video of some youth raising slogans in favour of Pakistan in Belagavi is doctored.
“It is a fake video. I have got it fact-checked. Miscreants have added voice bites to the video to make it sound as if some youth are chanting Pakisan Zindabad. I urge the people not to believe in such propaganda,” Mr. Sait said in a video message to his students.
“It is unfortunate that my opponents are circulating this video to tarnish my image,” he said.
“I am not going to blame any political party or leader or group for this. My response to this is Jai Hind and Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” he said.
“I am deeply hurt that some people have tried to do this. India is my country and I will not tolerate it if anyone tries to insult it. I only request the police to conduct an impartial probe into the matter and take strict action against those responsible for it,” he said.
“As your MLA, I assure you that I will not discriminate between people of any area in the city. I will not discriminate between those who have voted for me and those who did not. I will implement all welfare and development programmes equally in all areas,” he said.
In 2018, miscreants had circulated a video in which a similar slogan was raised. BJP leaders Anil Benake and Sanjay Patil used it in their election speeches to defeat Firose Sait, Congress candidate. A committee constituted by the Deputy Commissioner later found out that the video was doctored.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson M.B. Zirali has alleged that Pakistan Zindabad slogans were raised immediately after the results were announced on Saturday. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident and sought strict action against the offenders.
