Fmr Defence minister AK Antony says leaking official secrets amounts to Treason, Arnab to sue Congress leaders

The former defence minister A. K. Antony, former home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, and former law minister Salman Khurshid today addressed a joint press conference at the AICC headquarter in New Delhi to take a serious view of the sensational national security leaks and expressed their immense concern over the breach of official secrets at the cost of the national security in the what’s app chats between the editor in chief of Republic TV and the former BARC CEO Partho Das creating quite a sensation nationally.

Addressing the press conference former defence minister A. K. Antony while expressing his immense shock over the revelation of what’s app chat between Arnab Goswami n Partho Dass said that leaking of official secrets of military operations amount to the open breach of the national security and as such is an unambiguous case of TREASON and those involved in this anti national act should be severely punished with no scope for any mercy including institution of a high level inquiry into the 2019 air strike information leaks.

How a journalist can know about the proposed air strike at Balakot, Pakistan just three days ago, an extremely secret matter coming under the official secrets act which only four or five higher ups in the government must be knowing, anxious former defence minister Antony asked ?

He said that matters related to national security, breach of official secrets and military operations clearly amount to Treason and anti national acts stringently unpardonable deserving no mercy at any cost.

Leaking of official secret is a highly criminal act he added.

Addressing mediamen referring to the WhatsApp chats between the editor in chief of Republic TV and former CEO of BARC Antony said that never before has the national security been compromised and national security secrets leaked by brazenly misusing the office of the prime minister, home minister etc and as such the PM should come clean on this issue said the former defence minister.

The former home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that Congress would raise the issue in the parliament session starting on 29th January.

The former law minister Salman Khurshid addressing the PC said that certain references about judges have also appeared in the chats between the Republic TV senior Journalist Arnab Goswami and former CEO of BARC. Will the Judiciary take cognizance of this.

The senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad when asked about the joint parliamentary probe into this episode said that it depends on the wisdom of the MPs of all the opposition parties as the parliament session is likely to open after 9 days.

Meanwhile Republican TV editor in chief Arnab Goswami has decided to sue the Congress party. In a tweet today the Republic TV has tweeted with a detailed statement of Arnab : # ArnabFightsBack# Arnab: I have decided to sue the Congress party, take a strong legal action against their lies and expose them in the courts of law. People of India: Join Hands with Republic as we fight this political conspiracy with all our strength. The truth is on our side tweeted Republic TV quoting Arnab.

In the enclosed statement with the tweet Arnab wrote he is filing a criminal complaint against every Congress leader who had uttered lies against me. Their statement that classified documents were shared in the falsehood. Accusing the Congress party of uttering a series of falsehoods, concocted lies, fabricated facts and unimaginable twisting of statements against me n my network, Arnab Goswami warned that this will not be taken lying down. He added that their claims that I have compromised national security is hog wash and heart of heart, even their top leaders know it. The problem with Congress is that they cannot stand a nationalist channel with a nationalist editor in chief. They think they can browbeat me with a liteny of legal cases, interrogations, false charges, alongwith their cohorts in the media. He appealed to the people to join hands with him to fight the Congress conspiracy say his statement.