‘You are lying’: Union minister Anurag Thakur reacts to allegation of ‘goli maaro’ slogan

Upon being asked about the inflammatory slogan raised in the run up to Delhi Assembly polls last month, Anurag Thakur replied by saying, “You are lying”.

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday accused reporters of lying when he was asked whether he shouted an inflammatory slogan during the election campaign for the assembly polls in Delhi.

Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur addresses an election campaign ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, at Rithala, in New Delhi. (HT File Photo)

To a reporter’s question the Union minister of state for finance asked what had he said.

As the reporter told him about the slogan, Anurag Thakur replied by saying, “You are lying”.

“The media should first improve their knowledge. I am not saying much as the matter is subjudice. That is why I say you should improve your knowledge. Half-baked knowledge is dangerous for anyone,” he said.

WATCH | ‘You are lying’: Union minister Anurag Thakur on question over ‘goli’ slogan

The minister was addressing a press conference after a meeting with stakeholders from various trades and industries during an interactive session organised by the income tax department.

Anurag Thakur had allegedly shouted the slogan during an election meeting by Union home minister Amit Shah in Rithala as he lead people on a chant that said traitors would be shot-- “desh ke gaddaron ko; goli maaro saalon ko”.

But he himself didn’t utter the second part of the slogan.

The Election Commission of India later handed a 72-hour ban on Anurag Thakur as it held that he had made “undesirable and objectionable statements”, which had the potential to “aggravate existing differences and create mutual hatred between different religious communities”.

Delhi High Court had recently expressed “anguish” over Delhi Police’s failure to register first information reports (FIRS) against the three BJP leaders, including Thakur, over their alleged hate speeches in connection with the citizenship act-related violence and asked the police commissioner to take a “conscious decision” on it.