Varun Gandhi’s fiery speech in Pilibhit was the precise shot in the arm the media needed for its campaigning efforts on behalf of the Congress party. Having beaten the BJP incessantly for about 5 years, the media, now, aware of the Congress’ delicate situation, has jumped in with glee.
Here are two screenshots to begin with.
Picture 1:
Seen on the left sidebar in Times of India, 19 March 2009, Online Edition. Added the blue highlighter.
Picture 2:
From a Google search result with the terms “varun Gandhi speech.” Search query on 19 March 2009. Added the red highlighter.
Picture 1 shows two ads for two different clubs hosted on TOI’s miserable excuse for a social networking site called iTimes. If you are a conspiracy theorist, you’d immediately notice how in Picture 1 bad boy Varun Gandhi is pitted against the filmy Neo-Gandhi, Sanjay Dutt. You’d also notice that the contrast couldn’t be sharper or infinitely devilish. Here’s Amar Singh’s latest Bollywood darling Sanjay Dutt, having served jail on several occasions for being pally with Dawood, who waged a Jihad against Bombay. Indian secularism is increasingly blurring the lines between the make-believe and the real. Like in uncountable third-grade Bollywood pot boilers where macabre twists somehow nullify all villainy in the end, Sanjay Dutt’s neo-Gandhi image will in all likelihood win him a Lok Sabha seat. At least TOI is trying hard on his behalf. Equally, it’s also trying to ensure that Varun Gandhi is snubbed.
Picture 2 is equally interesting. NDTV’s site carries two separate news items on the same issue. The first is neutrally titled, Varun Gandhi’s speech while the second blatantly brands it as “hate speech.” What’s amazing is both news items appeared on the same day. Apparently, NDTV doesn’t believe in wasting time. It’s campaign season after all.
So what did Varun Gandhi actually say? Varun Gandhi’s fiery oratory did inflict some verbal violence. Translated excerpts follow:
This is not the (Congress symbol) ‘hand’, this is the hand of the ‘lotus’. It will cut the throat of the (derogatory reference to a Muslim) after the elections… Varun Gandhi will cut… Cut that hand, cut it, cut it.
Go to your villages and give the call that all Hindus must unite to save this area from becoming Pakistan…
Is it not true… that if (a woman) is asked her name and she says Bimla Devi, she is told we’ll see, we’ll think (about giving Government aid), give us Rs 5,000 first… But if her name is Saira Bano or whatever begum Hukum Begum… I don’t even know… These people have such scary-sounding names… Karimullah, Mazharullah… If you ever encountered them at night, you’d be scared.
I have a sister… there was a pamphlet with pictures of all the candidates… so this child told me, ‘I didn’t know that Osama bin Laden is contesting from your area.’ I told her, ‘America couldn’t get Osama, but Varun Gandhi is going to get a lot of people after the elections.
If you want to see his oratory in action, head over to CNN-IBN here.
I’ll accept it is violent, communal (sic), and inciting but I’m on a different point. It relates to Pilibhit. Now, this picturesque town has some pretty gory tales buried in its breast. Between 1962 and 1992, it witnessed communal riots in this fashion:
- Muslim protests over Ram navami procession in Muslim areas.
- Hindu boy was attacked by Muslim boys in Moradabad
- Hindu-Muslim riots after elections
- The Ayodhya aftermath.
(News sources for these available on request)
Today, Pilibhit is run almost according to the Islamic dispensation. The District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, and Sub Divisional Magistrate are Muslims. Coincidentally, the three MLAs that represent Pilibhit are all Muslims. Among other interesting incidents, cow slaughter and intimidation, and rapes of Hindu girls and women have become routine.
Does all this justify Varun Gandhi’s speech? No.
But is he alone? Let’s see.
- In January 2005, Ram Vilas Paswan openly used Maulana Meraj Khalid Noor, a Osama bin Laden look-alike on all his election campaigns and defended the stunt by saying that Osama had some following among the Muslim youth. Media reaction: End of interview.
- In February 2006, Minister for Minority Welfare and Haj in the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, Haji Yaqoob Qureishi announced a cash reward of 51 Crore Rupees for anyone who beheaded the Danish cartoonists. Media reaction: listless to tepid.
- In September 2007, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister thundered, who is this Rama? From which engineering college did he graduate? Is there any proof for this? Media response: secular silence.
- In November 2008, the selfsame Karunanidhi dropped additional gems: If a Brahmin and snake are seen together, the Brahmin must be killed first. Media reaction: report and take the rest of the day off.
These are but only four instances of similar verbal acrobatics to woo vote banks.
But Varun Gandhi is singled out because as Brutus says, Caesar was ambitious and so I had to slay him. So here’s a winning combination for the media to whip up the right amount of hysteria and sustain it: BJP+Speech against Muslims=hound him to the ends of the earth.
If you watch the news video on CNN-IBN’s site (linked above), you’ll be shocked…well, the media doesn’t shock me anymore. Since when have whores begun to shock society? But to give the whore her due, the IBN news reporter clamours in fake alarm that unfortunately, this is Varun Gandhi, great grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru…wants to be the protector of Hindus suffering from imaginary persecutions. And therein lies Varun Gandhi’s biggest mistake.
His crime is not so much that he’s a BJP candidate. His unpardonable affront is that Nehru’s untainted secular blood that runs in his veins flowed over to the BJP. The rest is self-explanatory.
Postscript: It is rather interesting that the media never reports the election speeches of Muslim candidates…
Tags: BJP, Indian Politics, Indian Secularism, Media Watch, Nehru’s Lineage, Politics, Pseudosecularism, Pseudosecularism Hall of Shame, Secularism, Varun Gandhi, Varun Gandhi’s Pilibhit Speech
I have been a leader of the Honduran Chinese community in Pilibhit for many years. Never once have I visited that place or seen any Chinese Honduran people there. However, following the widespread condemnation of Varun Gandhi’s speech by various non Honduran Chinese community leaders, I feel it incumbent on me to
1) demand redress of the fundamental problems of Pilibhit- viz. inadequate reservation for Honduran Chinese
2) educational and employment opportunities for Honduran Chinese not in Pilibhit- which I understand to be a shit-hole- but somewhere a reasonable person might want to live
3) Terrorism by the Chinese Honduran community in Pilibhit is not being adequately subsidized. Self defence is no offence.
4) Is this the message of Mahatma Gandhi? He said “Health is the only wealth- not silver or gold.”
Ponder these words before you rush to condemn Varun.
So the conclution is, so long as the communal party BJP exist in India. There will be no peace and harmony among the Hindus and Muslims.
——————-
Yoosuf Roy, news for you: all political parties in India are communal, not just BJP. Congress is one of the most communal parties ever, though their communal actions don’t get called out by the media and supporters of Congress.
it is heart paining..hindhus are whipped exclusively..this wholly glorious civization with the most sacred knowledge of vedanta to which modern science inching bit by it..none here to understand
Varun gandhi is a racist
Who cares about that damn varun gandhi he looks more like GAY person. When i first saw him i was cracking, because my boss is GAY and he exactly like varun gandhi. You dont have to take his word seriously because woh to adha hai.
well said i totally agree with the contents. it is just much ado about nothing before the elections
i always thought times of india was a news paper of BJP. i know i am right about it. BJP is the only party which has benefitted by the speech of varun (who actually is trying too hard to remain in politics). this is just a big propoganda directed by BJP stalwarts to gather votes as they have no issue to get votes. varun has just being made a scapegoat by the BHATIYA JHANJHAT PARTY(BJP) as he has a GANDHI tag with him. REALLY CHEAP POLITICS BY BJP.SHAME ON YOU BJP.
I also Think that Varun Looks Like a Gay. As he is not known to indian people that much. He just wanted to acquire some fame………
SHaMe!………… Shame!
Can we please vote for BJP and ban Cow Slaughter in UP and as many other states as possible? Thanks….
[...] : Sandeep What : What did Varun Gandhi say? Spicy : This post by Sandeep gives us a completely different viewpoint in the Varun Gandhi saga. [...]
wat this boy had said its really gud wat i feel sio
he is a gr8 indian
good goin varun
Jai Ho…Jai Ho… Varun Gandhi Ki Jai Ho
Asli ki communal parties ko ab Bhey ho…bhey ho
Aaja Aaja jeela Sache hindu ki tarah
Bewakoof banene wale “secular” partiyon se bachna zara
inki chikni chupdi baataen nahi Khari
har roz yeh policy banatein hain nayi
door raho..insee dooor raho…
Jai Ho… sache desh bhagat ki jai ho…
Vote do….isi ko vote do
jaaaaai hoooo jaaaaai ho….
Jai Hind !
[...] : Shail What : Interesting Massages Spicy : Social networking sites has its Pros and Cons. Shail in this very humorous post talks about [...]
Since when have whores begun to shock society?
Man.. this is exactly what I feel whenever I see these dumb heads in the news. Where do these ppl farkheads come from?
I agree with Vivek (Refer the first comment) ..the tribulations that the Honduran Chinese community in Pilibhit are being subjected to are a blot on the face of the fine traditions of Indian democracy … I demand that the Pilbhit seat be reserved for the Honduran Chinese community.. I demand representation in the parliament
well done varun keep on telling the priorities of the country.let media create controversies.at least some politician have guts to talk about the mot urgent devlopment priorities.not even a single person with little bit concern about the country will disagree with the fact that volcano of population should be stopped immediately.but nobody is ready to talk how.because the answer to ”HOW” will irritate some community.but shame on the politicians who to avoid debate and controversy are leaving contries most burning problem unanswered.generations will remember you varun history will remember you.we are behind you.
This country is the only one in the world where
the majority is always on the scaffold and
the minorities forever on the throne.
(with due regards to T Lowell)
The media today can certainly be seen leaning SLIGHTLY to the Congress but nothing excuses what Varun Gandhi said and what he thought would be appropriate to say to woo the voters. He asked people to elect him so he could “sterilize”
the indian muslim population.I mean come on what more did he have to say to get the camera guys chasing ?.
But what i find most amusing is that after saying what he did he denied it but started wearing the orange kurta projecting himself as a staunch Hindutva follower and that he meant each and every bigoted word.
[...] fact that the secular media has carefully suppressed. Varun Gandhi’s constituency, Pilbhit is also witness to atrocities by Muslims on Hindu women. And these are mere tidbits that found light of the day. And these are mere parts of [...]