On Friday, historian Ramachandra Guha had lashed out at the Nehru- Gandhi dynasty. He labelled Rahul Gandhi as a “fifth-generation dynast” and stated that Gandhi stood no chance in front of a self-made Modi. Guha also blamed the people of Kerela for electing Rahul in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The historian was addressing an audience at the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) in Kozhikode. His comment was reported by PTI.
A ‘fifth-generation dynast’ Rahul Gandhi has no chance in Indian politics against ‘hard-working and self-made’ Narendra Modi, and Kerala did disastrous thing by electing Congress leader to Parliament: historian Ramachandra Guha
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 17, 2020
The verbal attack on Rahul Gandhi surprised many people since Guha is known to be a Congress loyalist. But, the surprise did not live for long. Following a Twitter spat with Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Guha backtracked on his jibe at Rahul Gandhi.
On Sunday, he took to Twitter to clarify his views on Rahul and the Modi-Shah regime. He began by accusing PTI of selective reporting and quoting him out of context.
In view of the kerfuffle (to use a Tharoorian term) caused by the slanted and selective PTI report on my #KLF speech, a thread stating/restating my views on Rahul, Modi, Hindutva and India. 1/7
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) January 19, 2020
He softened his tone and asserted that Rahul’s association with the Gandhi dynasty held a “great disadvantage” for winning elections, as he lacks focus and administrative experience. He also it was patronizing of him to criticise people from Kerala for electing Rahul Gandhi. Referring to PM Narendra Modi as a “self-made man,” Guha said in a presidential-style election, voters tend to prefer Modi over Gandhi.
Read- ‘Historian’ Ram Guha gets it wrong, attempts to carry out ‘surgical strike’ on our intellect
He shrewdly added that his comment on Modi must be looked at from a “political” point of view. To justify that he is not inclined towards Modi, Guha highlighted his critical commentary in publications such as Telegraph and Hindustan Times against the Prime Minister’s policies.
In ‘Presidential’ style General Elections, voters tend to prefer Modi to Rahul because the former is more experienced and in political terms self-made. That said, I have been for many years a sharp critic of Modi‘s policies, as in my columns in @httweets and @ttindia . 3/7
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) January 19, 2020
Guha asserted that he has been a vocal opponent of “Hindutva” since the Bhagalpur riots of 1989. He stated that he would continue to oppose it in his speeches, tweets, and books. He blamed the Modi-Shah duo for running a “dangerous and divisive regime”. Guha also accused the duo of intimidating the press and the judiciary, besides promoting religious polarisation and making minorities insecure.
The Modi-Shah regime is the most dangerous and divisive the Republic has known. They have promoted religious polarization and made minorities deeply insecure. They have intimidated the press and judiciary, and made all government departments an instrument of party politics. 5/7
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) January 19, 2020
Towards the end of his Twitter thread, he stated how Anti-CAA protests organized by students affiliated with Left organizations have inspired him and helped break the so-called “wall of fear”. He also emphasized on the importance of courage, resolution, and non-violence in their “struggle” against the ruling dispensation.
Finally, here is the full video of my #KLF speech, an hour-long exposition in defense of constitutional patriotism against the horrors of Hindutva. https://t.co/RZYs6bEkHL
Do listen, and send comments and criticisms to me at [email protected]
7/7— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) January 19, 2020
Earlier, Guha had attacked the left-wing forces for the rise of aggressive nationalism worldwide. He had also blamed the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in neighbouring countries as a reason behind the rise of Hindutva in India.
His clarification or rather a hysterical tirade against the Modi-Shah duo now appears to be an act of damage control for his “dynasty jibe” at Rahul Gandhi.
