At a recent Congress rally in Moradabad, Western UP, shouts of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ were heard from the rally participants, some of whom were also filmed carrying arms. Ironically, the rally was held to pay homage to the 18 Bharatiya soldiers who lost their lives in the terrorist attack at Uri.
This was caught on camera by news channel Samachar Plus and also reported on ABP News –
When questioned by media, the local Congress leaders, ignoring the video evidence, instead claimed that ‘the crowd was chanting Pakistan Murdabad‘.
It is said that the Congress Vice-President and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, Rahul Gandhi, is scheduled to conduct a road show on 28 Sept in Moradabad for the upcoming 2017 UP Assembly elections.
Congress machinations to limit the damage?
If there is one thing Congress does well, it is fire fighting and manipulation of the narrative – in fact, the Sonia-led Congress’ governance model essentially revolves around two powerful core competencies: how to make Sonia ji appear as ‘Lady Bountiful’ (the rights-based approach, copious hand outs to the right vote-bank at the right time), and how to manipulate public narrative through their sepoys in media and intelligentsia.
Sensing the damage potential this Pakistan-love displayed by their supporters could have on prospects for the upcoming state elections, Congress back-room strategists appear to have quickly employed a common ploy in modern day left-secular politics to play the victim card and divert attention from a damaging story.
The ploy comes in 2 variants: an ink attack or thrown shoe by an allegedly disgruntled ‘common citizen’, which the ‘attacked’ leader graciously shrugs off in a Gandhian show of ahimsa and brotherly love for even those who ‘hate’.
So, as if on cue, reports came in of a 25 year old youth throwing a shoe at Rahul Gandhi during a road show in Sitapur district, UP.
Local Throws A Shoe Towards Congress VP Rahul Gandhi During His Road Show in Sitapur – VIDEO https://t.co/1UyjQSeRXD via @satyavijayi
— dr parag (@ParagDr) September 26, 2016
In the perfect Mahatma-esque and almost Bollywood-style response, Rahul Gandhi said while addressing a gathering after the incident, “Mujhe aapke joote aur gusse se dar nahi lagta (I am not scared of your anger or shoe).”
”I want to tell the BJP and RSS that you can throw as many shoes at me but I am not backing down. I am not scared of you. I will continue believing in love and harmony and you can stick with hate,” he added.
At the Congress briefing, controversial party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi also accused BJP-RSS of playing cheap politics with such actions and said that neither the party nor its leader would be deterred by it.
He claimed that the incident showed “real frustration” was setting in the BJP following the “massive response” to Gandhi during his “very successful” yatra.
Congress MLA and Communications in charge Randeep Surjewala (another dynast whose father is an ex-MP and 5-time Haryana MLA) has also threatened legal action against certain news channels he accused of ‘spreading false propaganda against Congress’ –
We, @incindia are sending legal notices to those found carrying false & malicious news of pro-Pak slogans raised at an INC rally.2/3
— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) September 26, 2016
