Jaipur, Jan. 20 -- India has been using freedom of speech without any responsibility, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said on Monday. "(Former prime minister) Jawaharlal Nehru said that freedom of speech can be used in an absolute way theoretically, but it's dangerous to use practically. When you take a picture of a nude or half-nude photo of a woman and post it on social media, it is not freedom of speech but criminality," she said during the closing debate session of the 19th Jaipur Literature Festival, moderated by senior journalist Vir Sanghvi. Chaturvedi further added, "We have also noticed an influx of misinformation during the COVID pandemic. It only shows how freedom of speech is a dangerous idea, which leads to hate speech and such misinformation. It causes long-term damage, and India is facing it." "India likes to use freedom of speech but without any responsibility," she said. The other panellists at the debate session - titled "Freedom of speech is a dangerous idea" - who were speaking in support of the motion were Rajya Sabha MP of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Priyanka Chaturvedi, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) spokesperson Anish Gawande, former Rajya Sabha MP and current national spokesperson of Jan Suraaj Party in Bihar Pavan K Verma, and British journalist Ian Hislop. British poet Alice Oswald, former Indian ambassador Navdeep Suri, and distinguished diplomat Navtej Sarna spoke against the motion. Meanwhile, legal research scholar Fara Dabhoiwala spoke neither in support of nor against the motion. Agreeing with Chaturvedi, Verma also said, "It's a good idea, but it's dangerous given the current context. The definition of this idea has become a monopoly on power. Would you want to be slapped with sedition charges or be driven out of a television show? Would you want to be called anti-national or sent to ED, CBI because you speak against the power? Freedom of speech is now playing with fire." He added, "It's good only at a fair space. Ruling party can say that they want to make a temple in the name of Godse in the name of freedom of speech, but you can't get into jail by opposing it using the same tool." NCP spokesperson Gawande also brought instances of the pretrial detention of Umar Khalid, and several cases of mob lynching of Muslims and argued, "When it comes to freedom of speech for them, it's a silence. Earlier, the idea of freedom of speech was to fight against the power. But it has always been a tool for the few, by the few, of the few. The patron of freedom of speech is Elon Musk today. It allows a parliamentarian to make some sexist comments, bullying a Muslim MP, sloganeering on Delhi roads- 'Goli Maaro Saalo Ko'." "It's an illusory idea. It's degrading. Some people can enjoy it," he said. Speaking against the motion, Sarna said, "My question is, who is going to regulate if freedom of speech is a dangerous idea? If I say something against the government, am I a terrorist? It should be implemented with enough safeguards." Journalist Hislop also added, "Yes, there is no absolute freedom of speech except for Donald Trump. But my profession would not have survived if this idea were not there. " Dabhoiwala spoke neither in support nor against the motion, saying, "It's a good idea for the voiceless, but it tends to weaponise power, which the recent media makes even worse."...