On Friday, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) slammed Congress scion Rahul Gandhi after he tried to defame the organisation citing a report by left-propagandist media house Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The WSJ report had claimed that despite an internal assessment calling for a ban on the Bajrang Dal, Facebook had not cracked down on the Hindu nationalist group due to these reasons.
“Facebook US says Bajrang Dal content is offensive and should be banned. Facebook India tells our Parliamentary panel that Bajrang Dal content is not offensive. Is Facebook lying to India and its Parliament?” the former Congress President tweeted while sharing the Wall Street Journal report.
VHP slams Rahul Gandhi, questions his anti-India stance
In a statement on Friday, VHP Spokesperson Vinod Bansal said that Rahul Gandhi has exposed his mindset by citing false accusations, made by Wall Street Journal. VHP Secretary General Shri Milind Parande stated that Rahul Gandhi has been proactive in his support of anti-national elements, Tukde Tukde gang, anti-CAA hooligans, pro-China and pro-Pakistan elements.
VHP reiterated that nationalist organisations such as Bajrang Dal have therefore become the eyesore of Rahul Gandhi. “His affiliation and rapport with China are well known. He would believe in an American newspaper but, not in a Pan-Bharat nationalist youth organization!” the organisation stated.
Press statement:
— Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP (@VHPDigital) December 18, 2020
WSJ and Rahul Gandhi should apologize: @MParandeVHP pic.twitter.com/5d1go8k3eN
VHP Secretary-General Milind Parande has demanded an apology from the Wall Street Journal for its false reporting, targetting and discrediting India under the pretext of defaming Bajrang Dal. Highlighting media reports and Wiki-Leaks, he said that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had also tried to ban Bajrang Dal but failed.
“Incidentally, Facebook has clarified that there is no reason to block Bajrang Dal on Facebook. This reflects their hostile anti-Hindu mindset. Sri Parande said that now Rahul Gandhi and the Wall Street Journal should apologize to the Bajrang Dal and the Hindu society that forms 1/6th of the global population,” VHP emphasised.
Claims of the Wall Street Journal on Bajrang Dal debunked by Facebook
Facebook India Head Ajit Mohan told a parliamentary panel on Wednesday that the social media giant had found no cause to act against the Hindu-nationalist organisation Bajrang Dal after reports had emerged claiming Facebook did not scrutinize accounts belonging to the Hindu organisation.
According to the reports, Ajit Mohan was summoned by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on Wednesday chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to discuss the safety of user data. Responding to the allegations by the WSJ, Facebook officials said before the panel members that Facebook’s fact-checking team had not, so far, found any content, among material posted by the Bajrang Dal, that violated its social media policies.
Facebook India chief Ajit Mohan has also rejected the WSJ report saying it was “factually wrong and untrue”. The Facebook team led by Mohan told the parliamentary panel that people quoted in the WSJ report “had no knowledge or authority, and were not in the hierarchical chain” to comment on the decision making process.
