Pak Tea House » Pakistan » Press Trust of India covers our debate on Varun Gandhi
Press Trust of India covers our debate on Varun Gandhi
We have off and on pointed out how what we say here resonates around the world, from New York Times and Guardian to Hindustan Times and The Hindu. We have yet again been featured as a story in the Press Trust of India which has been picked up by several regional and national newspapers in India. We present here the full text of the news story by Press Trust of India. -PTH Admin
Islamabad: Indian politician Varun Gandhi’s alleged “anti-Muslim” speeches, which are currently being examined by the Election Commission, have led to a war of words between Indian and Pakistani bloggers.
Varun Gandhi’s alleged “anti-Muslim” speeches have led to a war of words between Indian and Pakistani bloggers.Raza Rumi, the editor of the popular e-zine PakTeaHouse, said Pakistan could well be Gandhi’s next target if he was elected in India’s upcoming parliamentary polls.
“Varun Gandhi’s remarks on Muslims…concerns us as it only exposes us to brigades of hatred, communalism and violence across the border. If our jihadis or Islamists get inordinate attention, then why should a bigoted idiot like the young Gandhi not worry us?” Rumi wrote in a post that has generated a lot of heat in cyber space.
“Imagine if by a stroke of misfortune he comes to power, surely we are all set to be chopped off as we – the Muslims – have ‘scary’ names; and that Pakistan would be the next target once Narendra Modi-esque pogroms are completed against Indian Muslims,” Rumi added.
Rumi wrote: “We in Pakistan are constantly being demonised by the Indian mainstream media as a ‘terrorist’ country and that we are a great threat to the ‘secular’, shining India…The fissures in the secular Indian democracy get even more evident when such speeches are delivered.”
Gandhi, who is contesting the upcoming election from his mother Maneka Gandhi’s pocket borough of Pilibhit in western Uttar Pradesh, has been targeting the Muslim community in his recent speeches.
Yasser Hamdani posted the video of Gandhi’s speech on PakTeaHouse. “If Nehru could see this, he would probably not be as blind to the religion and caste-based ugliness of his constituents as he was when he refused to recognise that there was some logic to Muslim grievances,” Hamdani wrote.
“The real question is why does Baby Gandhi get scared of Muslims at night… and most importantly are these Muslims from NWFP?” he asked.
Amber, an Indian blogger, wondered why an article like this was even posted on the e-zine. “Why this article is on PeaTeaHouse is beyond comprehension. It has got nothing to do with Pakistan and gives more media coverage to a politician who is just about average…” he wrote in response to Hamdani’s post.
Hamdani did not take Amber’s words kindly and wrote back: “Yeah Amber…you don’t have anything to do with Pakistan either but you are on PakTeaHouse as well. …I thought I’d give you a reality check about your own country.”
The war of words was joined in by many others. Upadhyaya, an Indian blogger, explained. “…there’s always a tendency in India to dub any Hindu assertiveness as communalism but Muslim assertive as secularism. I am not amused by what you write because you pick up what you want to showcase against. You don’t know Islamists are eating away the nation of India from within…”
The thread of comments was joined by saner voices like Milind Kher and Dastagir. They said Hinduism has a wonderfully tolerant ethos that has enabled many rich civilizations to thrive in India. India has imparted a “delightfully Indian flavour to Islam” without detracting from it in any way and this was “very different from Hindutva”, they said.
Hindutvavadis “are not Hindus, just like terrorists are not Muslims”, they added.
Another Indian known as “simply61″ tried to cool things in the blogosphere. “What Varun said was and is unacceptable by any standards. One expected better from someone who carries the Gandhi surname…..and aspires to be a politician…The reason he is with the BJP and not the Congress is this family feud and not ideological convictions,” he wrote.
Islamabad: Indian politician Varun Gandhi’s alleged “anti-Muslim” speeches, which are currently being examined by the Election Commission, have led to a war of words between Indian and Pakistani bloggers.
Varun Gandhi’s alleged “anti-Muslim” speeches have led to a war of words between Indian and Pakistani bloggers.Raza Rumi, the editor of the popular e-zine PakTeaHouse, said Pakistan could well be Gandhi’s next target if he was elected in India’s upcoming parliamentary polls.
“Varun Gandhi’s remarks on Muslims…concerns us as it only exposes us to brigades of hatred, communalism and violence across the border. If our jihadis or Islamists get inordinate attention, then why should a bigoted idiot like the young Gandhi not worry us?” Rumi wrote in a post that has generated a lot of heat in cyber space.
“Imagine if by a stroke of misfortune he comes to power, surely we are all set to be chopped off as we – the Muslims – have ‘scary’ names; and that Pakistan would be the next target once Narendra Modi-esque pogroms are completed against Indian Muslims,” Rumi added.
Rumi wrote: “We in Pakistan are constantly being demonised by the Indian mainstream media as a ‘terrorist’ country and that we are a great threat to the ‘secular’, shining India…The fissures in the secular Indian democracy get even more evident when such speeches are delivered.”
Gandhi, who is contesting the upcoming election from his mother Maneka Gandhi’s pocket borough of Pilibhit in western Uttar Pradesh, has been targeting the Muslim community in his recent speeches.
Yasser Hamdani posted the video of Gandhi’s speech on PakTeaHouse. “If Nehru could see this, he would probably not be as blind to the religion and caste-based ugliness of his constituents as he was when he refused to recognise that there was some logic to Muslim grievances,” Hamdani wrote.
“The real question is why does Baby Gandhi get scared of Muslims at night… and most importantly are these Muslims from NWFP?” he asked.
Amber, an Indian blogger, wondered why an article like this was even posted on the e-zine. “Why this article is on PeaTeaHouse is beyond comprehension. It has got nothing to do with Pakistan and gives more media coverage to a politician who is just about average…” he wrote in response to Hamdani’s post.
Hamdani did not take Amber’s words kindly and wrote back: “Yeah Amber…you don’t have anything to do with Pakistan either but you are on PakTeaHouse as well. …I thought I’d give you a reality check about your own country.”
The war of words was joined in by many others. Upadhyaya, an Indian blogger, explained. “…there’s always a tendency in India to dub any Hindu assertiveness as communalism but Muslim assertive as secularism. I am not amused by what you write because you pick up what you want to showcase against. You don’t know Islamists are eating away the nation of India from within…”
The thread of comments was joined by saner voices like Milind Kher and Dastagir. They said Hinduism has a wonderfully tolerant ethos that has enabled many rich civilizations to thrive in India. India has imparted a “delightfully Indian flavour to Islam” without detracting from it in any way and this was “very different from Hindutva”, they said.
Hindutvavadis “are not Hindus, just like terrorists are not Muslims”, they added.
Another Indian known as “simply61″ tried to cool things in the blogosphere. “What Varun said was and is unacceptable by any standards. One expected better from someone who carries the Gandhi surname…..and aspires to be a politician…The reason he is with the BJP and not the Congress is this family feud and not ideological convictions,” he wrote.
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It’s good to know that the PTI has picked up this story.
PakTeaHouse is maturing into a vey tolerant and welcoming blog that is world class.
Gr8 show, PTH. Way to go!
That was infact the purpose of the article on Varun Gandhi…..to attract more eyeballs….all the posts on PTH which are Pakistan centric hardly have any comments, or certainly the participation is very less….only those posts which are India-centric and controversial attract more traffic, comments and therefore more attention…..it is an art that PTH is honing and exploiting to the fullest….well done PTH!!
Mr. Bomber,
You are sorely mistaken. The most attention we’ve gotten is never on India-centric topics. International Media- like NYTimes and Guardian- covered us for Pakistan-centric posts. Similarly the highest number of comments and hits are on Pakistan-centric articles.
I suggest you research the matter before making such comments which are not rooted in reality.
YLH,
For me, Pak centric or India centric is not the issue.
What I am happy about is that a blog run by well meaning liberal souls is being appreciated internationally.
Heinkel_Bomber: your tone and nasty comment do not deserve attention or even a response.
Milind: Thanks!!
Mr Hamdani,
You don’t take compliments easily, do you? (wink)
NYT article was defintely on the clash b/w Indian and Pakistani bloggers….I came to know of PTH through that article itself……PTI article talks about you in the same manner
I don’t know about the hits, but the “comments” section tell a different story…atleast for the last few posts
What will not be reality is for you to disagree that India-centric articles generated a fair bit of traffic…and I don’t think that is a bad thing at all
Don’t need compliments from you. The 5 articles with highest number of hits had nothing to do with India or Indian commentators.
Raza,
Thanks for the appreciation. South Asia needs to increase tolerance big time.And that is where I find your efforts commendable.
I am sure you would have your share of detractors. But bash on regardless!!
Where’s the link?
search the title…
To all the detractors who think PTH’s posts are India centric, may I remind them that all 3 countries on the subcontinent have shared histories and destinies. They affect each other profoundly even as sovereign states and will continue to do so. Therefore, what happens in one of them should be of concern to all, especially if it generates heated debate like the one that is ongoing over the Varun Gandhi saga.
India’s home minister recently expressed profound concern about Pakistani Taliban and their impact on India and rightfully so. I don’t agree with everything that Mr.Chidambaram says but his arguments were valid though his doom day scenarios are a little exaggerated.
Hamdani,
So u write all the bakwas and claim credit from intl news organisations? Minimum decency is what the readers want when intl credits are claimed.
Pak Tea House doesn’t represent the majority view of Pakistanis. It’s very much certain that few like minded guys gathered and want to present a rosy picture of Pakistan as the citadel of tolerance, secularism and liberalism. Fool yourself.
Shahzad,
People in Pakistan take pleasure in the negative news of India. That’s the natural mental complex of Pakistanis.
I have clicked abt 10 times during the two posts today. Would that amount to 10 genuine hits?
To me it’s just 2 clicks.
Upadhyaya writes
“”"”"People in Pakistan take pleasure in the negative news of India. That’s the natural mental complex of Pakistanis.”"”"”"
Absoluetely RIGHT.
Tata Nano launch IGNORED.
Varun Gandhi news GOT TWO POSTS.
You are right its all mental.
PTH is a brilliant platform for sharing knowledge and views. I have tremendous esteem for the works of Rumi, Hamadani, et al (at PTH) and I am proud that PTH is at par with the original Pak Tea House where the works of revolutionary poets were once exchanged.
Kudos Raza — for having this platform.
p.s the views of Varun Gandhi are abhorrent and just the thought of him ever coming to power would be nefarious.
Shaheen
p.s. correction to spelling above — Hamdani and not Hamadani. typo!
Upadhyaya,
I am sorry to say it’s bigots like you in both Pakistan and India who do not care to understand the issues and are content with spreading dogmas and hatred.
hi!
the PTI story was out by us. I think you guys are doing a great job and we often write about you all.
darkness
Speaking truth is not spreading hatred. Speaking the truth is beyond the political map (lines on paper). Speaking the truth is beyond “Nationalism” in the technical sense. Humanism is beyond Nationalism., and must always remain so.
Internal Matter : A matter remains internal as long as it is within limits. When a threshold of decency is crossed., there is a knock on the door … If there is more shouting in the house, the door is pushed open. Internal becomes External. For every action, there is an equal reaction., as Narendra Modi wonderfully reminded us in 2002. The comic part is : That he both planned and executed the “action”, and also the “reaction”.
Varun Gandhi is not the issue. Its the symptom. The sin. There will be people like him, who will use abusive language. Point is: They should be within the margins… not main-stream. If BJP/RSS are winning (running 11 Provinces); that means something is wrong with the mindset of Indians themselves.
Hate is a best-seller in India., and Islam/Muslims are the easiest (soft) target… During the past 60 years, India has also progressed.. so there is a new sense of personality and identity. Like a young person wanting to assert (nayee jawani); this nation which is experiencing a sense of entitlement and empowerment (which it did not experience before); wants to prove its superiority. For that you need a victim. The weakest segment of society is the easiest victim to target… and feed the ego. Sadistic element is getting mixed here with a sense of personality and achievement and identity (if you take it at the highest level).
RSS wants to establish the Hindu Identity and personality and ego., transforming the innate character of Hinduism… by giving it a violent flavour in the name of Hindutva. In simple words, they want to convert Hindus to Judaism… or Anarchy-ism… with some idols and symbols thrown in to provide a “setting”. This is a betrayal of Hinduism itself (in the long run)… but who cares.
Its an age of Fast food (Fast food ka zamana hai. Fast results chaahiye. Indulge in hate speech / plan and execute carnage / riots before elections / divide society / and romp to victory… masses are fools). I am afraid, at this very moment, RSS is planning the schedule of executing Hindu-Muslim riots in India., just before the Elections… or even After Elections as Varun openly said… Maybe because of his youth, he blurted out.
KATUA : The muslims like jews go for circumcision of the boys., for hygenic reasons. There is a slang for it “Katua”.. i.e. the one who has been cut. It means the circumcised male… (a slang used for muslims i.e.). I am reminded of Manto’s short story : “Mishtake” as i write this. Anyways…
Sanjay Gandhi himself was a “Katua”. Mohammed Younus had got him circumcised. (Why he circumcised the son of Indira and Feroze Ratan Gandhi ? Ask Khushwant Singh !). Varun Gandhi must ask his mother Menaka (get it confirmed from her) whether his father Sanjay was also a “Katua”. She is the right person to confirm / deny it. Is this reality “doctored” too, Varun ?
Varun is the sinner… “hatred” is the sin. Indian society is adopting a rough / crude / vulgar / abusive character. In speach and action, people are so agressive… fighting over very minor things. Culture /decency / dignity / Maryada / Aqlaaq are a thing of the past.
Varun must ask (get it confirmed from his mother Menaka) whether his father Sanjay used to slap / beat his mother Indira ? What was it., that Sanjay blackmailed his mother Indira with…..
Varun must ask his mother Menaka Gandhi (confirmation), what the nature of her relation was with Mr. Akbar Ahmed, 25-30 years back… I hope he hates names like “Akbar.. and Ahmed” too. Its his choice. Is Varun the son of Sanjay or Akbar Ahmed Dumpy ? Get Varun’s DNA Test done… along with the forensic of the CD (which has already been done by the EC at the Forensic Lag in Agra).
Varun must ask his mother (get it confirmed) why she was married to Sanjay in the house of Mr. Mohammed Younus. Who was Younus… was he Varun’s Daada ? (Ask Khushwant Singh). Was RSS Headquarters Premises not available for the marriage ?
Maybe these are rumours… that Varun’s daada (paternal grandfather) was Mohammed Younus who was a Pakhtoon.. that his father is (was) Akbar Ahmed Dumpy… that his official father Sanjay (Sanjeev) Gandhi was a “Katua”… He should confirm all these things with his mother., whether these are “Truths” or “Doctored views”.
There are many stories.. .Sanjay (Sanjeev)’s Passport story in London… why he had to take a new passport… the theft he committed in London.. Who was the Indian Commissioner then.. who issued a new passport… How he was packed off from London…
Why Sanjay stayed with Bal Thackerey on his visits to Bombay (now Mumbai). The orgies that happened in Mumbai… There are still people alive. Emergency (1975-77) File must be RE-OPENED… for us to refresh our memories.
Kya Varun KATUA + CHOR ka beta hai ? Hayn..
Menaka should answer Varun with Truths. She must not “Cut” (Katua) the truths.. and doctor them. Varun must know the truths.
Jai Ho.
Shahzad,
Call me bigot but the facts remain on the ground. There’s a suicide bombing in Islamabad on Pakistan Day. How significant was that? For you it’s a small blip, not at all significant. Khud Kush Hamla is a routine thing in Pakistan & it doens’t require any space on Pak Tea House.
Hate speech of Varun in his constituency becomes a major issue for you guys. Moreover you guys still need an explanation as to why Pakistan’s formed & how it’s justified. Need validation from India even today.
Good for you guys.
@Dastagir and Company
Good to see your CELEBRATION OF INDIAN DIRT(read negative news abt India).
These Pakistanis are ONLY GOOD at searching the net and other medium for NEGATIVE NEWS about India and then splash it in PAKISTANI FORUMS and celebrate it.
This kind of behaviour is seen among hopeless morons whose neighbours are doing BETTER than them.
Jai Ho Indian Dirt.
Even Indian dirt is celebrated in Pakistan!!……lol
All most all positive news about India are VERY CONVENIENTLY forgotten or ignored.
Yesterday TATA NANO was on the top headline in BBC Southeast Asia page
yes the moderates become blind when Dust – again dustagir and comes to kick around, raza, ylh, hamdani or watstherename and this so called Milind Kher (must be fake) all become deaf and dumb.
all India post is a reflection of their hatred for India they want to but these odd incidents to boost the moral of paki bros, why don’t they write about the poor ratio of Christian and Hindu minorities of their own country and posts about Muhajirs ?
Why don’t they comment or write about the progress in the state of Gujrat …….that would bring them brickbats by guys like dustagain.
Go PakTeaHouse
Monkey,
You are a good guy. I always see a smile when you post
@ Milind: Thank you. I like to smile…but I am not a guy :p
@ Indian dude: Dude, this is PakTeaHouse so naturally we would want to discuss things here which in some way affect Pakistan. Tata Nano has no connection to Pakistan so obviously there’s no point mentioning it. Those things should be at India Tea House (how original, may I add?).
Best would be for India to deal with Moslems in India the same way as Pakistan has dealt with Hindoos in Pakistan.
What? Encourage them to go to India?!
(Idiot.)
At least, things are more democratic in India.
Let’s not get sidetracked by India-Pakistan bickering. The fact of the matter is, Mr Varun Gandhi has shown himself to be a lumpen character (pedigree and education notwithstanding). The BJP supported his intemperate speechifying during the election campaign, but later on conceded that he had damaged the party’s prospects. The teeming electorate has passed its judgment: it seems this kind of politics is stale, beyond its “sell by” date.