Journalism of Courage
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday found himself at the centre of a political row after BJP cited a video of his meeting with a controversial Christian priest here and alleged that it shows the “anti-Hindu” face of the opposition party and exposes the “reality” of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra‘.
Hitting back, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said BJP’s “hate factory” is sharing tweets about Rahul that have no relation to the audio.
In a clip that has been shared widely online, the priest, George Ponniah, was heard telling Rahul that Jesus is a real God, unlike Shakti.
While the Congress said the video, shared by many BJP leaders, “bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio”, BJP leader Sambit Patra accused Rahul of harbouring hatred for Hindus and said the conversation insults goddess Shakti before the Navratras begin.
In the video clip, Rahul and Ponniah are heard having a conversation on whether Jesus was considered a God or not.
Rahul is heard asking, “He is not God or is he God? Jesus is also God?”
After an explanation from a person whose face is not visible in the video, Rahul again asks, “So Jesus Christ is a form of God. Is that correct?”
Ponniah is heard replying, “He is the real God. God reveals him as a man…human person…not like Shakti or this God…. So we see in this human person…born like a man, born in his world, the form.”
Ponniah, a Roman Catholic priest, was arrested in July last year for allegedly making disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Hinduism, and also about Tamil Nadu’s DMK government. Before his arrest, he had apologised to “Hindu brothers and sisters” for his statements and claimed that parts of his speech were edited.
Referring to a BJP politician who avoids wearing slippers as a gesture of respect towards ‘Bharat Mata’, Ponniah had purportedly said “we wear slippers to make sure we don’t get our feet dirty and get any disease from Bharat Mata.”
In Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told the media that this is not the first time the Congress has been involved in such incidents and it had earlier questioned the existence of Lord Ram.
Patra alleged that Rahul “pretends” to go to temples during elections but the “anti-Hindu” face emerges after polls are over. “Is this ‘Bharat Jodo’? Denouncing one religion for the appeasement of another? This Hindu hatred of the Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular is no more a clandestine affair. Rahul wears it on his sleeves with pride…” Patra said.
While there was no response from Rahul. Congress media department head Pawan Khera said BJP does not understand the importance of debate and inter-faith dialogue. “This tradition is not new to India,” he said. “This comes with the Sanathan tradition of engaging with people of different opinions and different streams of thoughts.”
Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s national information and technology department, tweeted: “If meeting a controversial pastor, known for his visceral disdain for the majority community and their beliefs, Rahul Gandhi’s idea of “Bharat Jodo”, then this Yatra is nothing but a sham. How can indulging faith supremacists serve the larger society and bring cohesion…”
Slamming BJP, Congress’s Ramesh tweeted, “An atrocious tweet from the BJP hate factory is doing the rounds. It bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio. This is typical BJP mischief that has become more desperate after the successful launch of Bharat Jodo Yatra which is evoking such a huge response.”
“People who were responsible for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi and the murders of people like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh are raising questions! What a morbid joke! Such attempts to damage the spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra will fail miserably,” Ramesh posted in another tweet.
