BJP questions Congress's silence on Tejpal's conviction, targets Rahul over Jharkhand students' stir
The BJP on Monday (August 10, 2026) questioned the Congress's silence over former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal's conviction in a 2013 rape case, alleging that
The BJP on Monday (August 10, 2026) questioned the Congress's silence over former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal's conviction in a 2013 rape case, alleging that the opposition party has a longstanding "nexus" with the magazine. The Bombay High Court convicted Tejpal in the 2013 rape case on Thursday (August 6) and sentenced him to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment, terming the trial court's 2021 acquittal verdict "perverse" and criticising it for falling prey to the notion that the complainant in such cases should be a "perfect victim" and should conduct herself in a certain way to appear credible. Follow Jharkhand students protest LIVE updates Tejpal, 63, was convicted of raping a junior colleague in a hotel elevator in 2013 during an event organised by Tehelka in Goa. He has said he will approach the Supreme Court to challenge the conviction. Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Congress's silence despite the conviction shows that its approach to freedom of expression and women's rights is "one-sided, partisan and prejudiced". "This issue is important today because even after so many days, not a single word has been heard from the Congress," Mr. Trivedi told a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
He alleged that the relationship between Tejpal and the Congress is nearly two decades old and questioned the party's failure to react to his conviction. "If there was no relationship between him and the Congress, the Congress could have said it is its right to comment or not to comment. But the love and understanding between them, which has continued for the last 20 years, is visible from 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011 and 2021. If they are still not reacting to this, its relevance today is that it shows what kind of conspiracies they used to hatch to topple a nationalist government and damage its reputation," Mr. Trivedi said. He accused the Congress of using people associated with the media to target governments led by the BJP and claimed that the "tendency" has not changed. "The nefarious design and the conspicuous conspiracies that the Congress used to hatch with their henchmen masqueraded as free media is now being blatantly exposed," he said. Trivedi also referred to Tejpal's statement after his acquittal by a lower court in 2021, claiming that he had thanked the Congress for helping him in the rape case. He said Tejpal had thanked the Congress after the lower court acquitted him and the high court later overturned the verdict.
The BriefWire