Anil Vij says hobnobbing with international powers to oppose government is treason

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday asserted that opposing government's policies is not a crime but hobnobbing with international powers to oppose the government is treason.

Haryana Home Minister l Vij on Monday asserted that opposing government's policies is not a crime but hobnobbing with international powers to oppose the government is treason.

Talking about his tweet on the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi, the minister said, "I am not saying that speaking against government's policy is a crime, we are a democratic country, the public can oppose the policy, but if someone is hobnobbing a criticism with international powers, that falls under treason,"

"The people who are supporting them be it Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal or anyone else, are encouraging the treason, then sooner it is stopped the better. It is a disease, which if it is not stopped it will spread in others, which is bad for the country," Vij said.

He made these statements while replying to a question over his earlier tweet in which he said: "If seeds of anti-nationalism have been sown in somebody's thought process, he/she should be destroyed from roots... whether she is Disha Ravi or anyone else."

Hours earlier Twitter issued a notice to Vij on this tweet, saying it had deleted the tweet based on a complaint from a user in Germany; the complaint was under Germany's Network Enforcement Act - which obliges social network providers to delete content.However, later Twitter said the tweet "is not subject to removal" under their rules.

"I got an email from Twitter it said that they have examined the complained and haven't found anything in regard to removal of it," Vij said.

Disha Ravi was arrested on Sunday in connection with a "toolkit" - relating to the farmers' protest against the new agriculture laws - that Delhi Police say is proof of a conspiracy against the country.

BJP's Vij slammed Haryana Congress leader Vidya R's statement on farmers' agitation and said, "Maybe it is working process of Congress, and take the support of such incidents to complete their own programs."

R on Monday urged party workers to strengthen the farmers' agitation and said they can contribute "be it money, vegetables, liquor".

Farmers have been protesting at different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three laws - Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )