The Congress has so far registered complaints in six states against BJP leaders for sharing the distorted video about Rahul Gandhi’s statement, insisting that the conspiracy of linking him to terrorists cannot be ignored.

While one FIR was registered in Rajasthan’s Jaipur on Sunday against Zee News for running the fake news, another FIR was lodged in Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh on Monday against former information & broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, BJP MPs Subrat Pathak and Bhola Singh and MLA Kamlesh Saini. Complaints were lodged at police stations in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra as well.

Congress social media head and spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said: “Our communications chief Jairam Ramesh had written a letter to BJP chief J.P. Nadda, asking him to respond within 24 hours but he chose not to respond. The Congress had threatened to take legal action if they didn’t apologise for spreading fake news. We were forced to take this action because the intention was to trigger communal frenzy through this distorted information.”

Shrinate added: “There is a trend in the BJP — those who will spread maximum hate and falsehood will get promotion. There was a minister of state who raised a nasty slogan during Delhi elections, got promoted to cabinet rank. This case was not merely spreading fake news; this was a sinister design to link Rahul Gandhi to the terrorists linked to the Udaipur murder. There is a larger conspiracy to defame Rahul Gandhi. Rahul lost his grandmother and father to terrorism and his name is being linked to terrorists. This will not be tolerated.”

Arguing that social media platforms should be a safe space, Shrinate alleged that the BJP ecosystem used it for false propaganda and maligning Opposition leaders. “In Rajasthan, BJP leaders hail chief minister Ashok Gehlot for prompt action in Udaipur case. Gehlot prevented another Godhra, which Modi couldn’t in Gujarat. But other BJP leaders try to instigate passions by creating false impressions that Rahul Gandhi sought forgiveness for the murderers. Why do they lie like this? To incite violence? We won’t tolerate this.”