Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday said that the arrest of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi shows the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) dictatorial attitude.
"The arrest of Akhil Gogoi is nothing but exposes the government dictatorial attitude. Besides, in a democracy everybody has the right to criticize the government. Gogoi is very critical of the government and he was critical during my time also. But we didn't put behind the National Security Act (NSA) as we didn't consider him anti-national," the former chief minister told ANI.
He added that the current government wants to get everybody out who criticizes it.
"Anybody who criticizes the government is termed anti-national which is dangerous for a democratic country like India. This illegal order by the government has already been condemned and we want the government to change this attitude," Gogoi asserted.
Earlier on Monday, Akhil Gogoi was booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
He was booked under the Act in connection with several cases lodged against him in Assam.
The cases include the Kaziranga eviction in 2016, for which Gogoi was arrested on charge of inciting illegal settlers which resulted in the death of two persons in police firing.
The KMSS leader was booked under Sections 120 B, 121, 124 (A), 109, 153, 153 (A) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for delivering a provocative speech during a public rally at Moran, where he allegedly instigated people to take up AK-47 rifles in their movement against the government.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)