| Thursday, February 08, 2007 |
| Rahul Gandhi vs Hinduunity.org: Unsubstantiated allegations lead to ban, ezboard removes forum on Rahul |
I woke up, and first thing in the morning, what catches my eye is this report in Rediff US Web site's discussion forum on Gandhi family banned.
Fine, typical media report which doesn't want to mention the specific allegations against Rahul Gandhi. Or so I thought till I reached the last paragraph. What the.. ?
"We will not back down under any circumstances. A complete and an independent investigation into this rape case must be launched immediately, and secure the rape victim and her mother from any assassination attempts by the Congress government of India. We fear for their safety. This is an atrocity, a modern-day tragedy of an innocent young lady and the retaliation to blindfold, hide and intimidate the Indian public by a ruling party that is naively revered by many as divine," Rohit Vyasmaan, chairman, of Hindu Unity, wrote on the Web site after Rahul Gandhi's legal notice.
Wohohohaw.
Was that paragraph added their deliberately to mention the allegations in an indirect way, or was it just slightly shoddy editing which did not maintain the careful way in which the rest of the story was written? Anyway, it managed to get the actual allegation across to the reader. Good.
First thing I did, then is to try and check the 'hindu unity' site at www.hinduunity.org It was not accessible, perhaps Indian ISPs have blocked it already. My ISP is Hathway.
Then, a quick blog search for the words Rahul Gandhi and Hindu Unity in Google Blogsearch. And I get across to a few sites which has reproduced the allegations.
Even I shall play safe like Rediff - follow the big guys! - and not mention anything more about the actual accusation by Hindu Unity. But a few quick observations.
1. I have never trusted the over-the-top-ness of Hindu Unity. And generally I have thought them over the top and full of fire and brimstone. Scary guys, from a Christian's point of view :D
2. They have been after the Gandhi family with allegations, mockery and trash talk for years. I think they were one of the sites which were banned during last year's great Blogspot ban by the Indian government. If you are a political opponent of the Congress or the Gandhi's, even then you would find the constant attacking over the top. If you are a 'cultural' or 'religious' opponent of her, though, I have no idea how you people think or what you find offensive, so maybe then it is within limits.
3. The accusations against Rahul Gandhi by hinduunity.org are not backed up by facts. At this moment, let me clarify. They have promised to come out with more details and interviews.
4. Mulayam Singh and BJP. There is no mention of Mulayam Singh Yadav or Amar Singh or Mayavati! How can anything happen in UP without those politicians coming to know about it? If the Congress would resort to thuggery, even if it is in Amethi, I am sure Mulayam and Mayavati and BJP - which has the most to gain from a controversy like this - would not sit tight. How would an Advani or Kalyan Singh or Rajnath Singh or the patriarch Vajpayee react to something like this, if it is true? Now that is a thought to ponder over.
For now, I prefer to err on the side of skepticism. Hinduunity.org has done practically nothing ever for me to have any confidence in what they say. Regardless, I will be keeping a careful eye on this topic. I wish the Congress would not back off now, and Abhishek Singhvi would take the case forward. I really would like to see a showdown on this one!Labels: Society |
| posted by a correspondent @ 8:32 AM |
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