On Tuesday, August 30, the Aam Aadmi Party Gujarat chief Isuden Gadhvi took to Twitter to support a video that showed the anti-Gujarat ‘activist’ Medha Patkar and the self-proclaimed ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad in a positive light. Teesta Setalvad is currently in custody in a case of forgery and falsifying information about the 2002 Gujarat riots
Actually, Isuden Gadhvai reshared a tweet posted by AAP leader Sanjay Singh. He captioned his Tweet in Hindi that roughly translates to, “This is the BJP model! The more sins you commit, the better your position in the party becomes.”
ये भाजपा मॉडल है ! जितना आप गुनाह ज़्यादा करोगे उतना उनको पद मिलेगा ! https://t.co/Dkosvb0ug9
— Isudan Gadhvi (@isudan_gadhvi) August 30, 2022
AAP leader Sanjay Singh’s Tweet, which the Gujarat AAP chief retweeted, was intended to mock Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, against whom the party has recently launched an ad hominem attack, accusing him of money laundering.
On 26 May, VK Saxena took charge as Delhi L-G, replacing Anil Baijal.
Sharing a Tweet posted by a Twitter user named Shubham, the AAP leader captioned his in Hindi, “From what I am listening, this LG is a very dangerous man. He is accused of attacking with help of gangs, he has an FIR filed against him. Why did Modi ji choose the person against whom significant accusations of corruption and criminality had been filed? L=Loot G=Gang LG_Saxena_Chor_Hai”.”
ये LG तो बहुत ख़तरनाक आदमी है ये मैं क्या सुन रहा हुँ?
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) August 30, 2022
ये गैंग के जरिये हमला कराने का आरोपी हैं इन पर FIR है।
जिस व्यक्ति पर भ्रष्टाचार और अपराध के संगीन मामले दर्ज हैं उसको LG क्यों बनाया मोदी जी?
L= Loot
G= Gang#LG_Saxena_Chor_Hai https://t.co/To8Vnuk0We
Twitter user Shubham’s Tweet that AAP leader Sanjay Singh shared included a video that attempted to portray anti-Gujarat ‘activists’ Medha Patkar and Teesta Setalvad in a favourable light while disparaging Delhi LG Vinay Kumar Saxena.
In the video, ‘farmer’ leader Dr Sunilam who is a former MLA from Madhya Pradesh and President of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, eulogized ‘activists’ Medha Patkar and Teesta Setalvad while accusing Delhi LG VK Singh of trying to defame them. While giving a brief background about the Delhi LG and his association with an Ahmedabad-based NGO — National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), Dr Sunilam insinuated that Saxena had falsely tried to implicate Medha Patkar and Teesta Setalvad in several legal battles for gaining quick fame and trust of Modi.
Notably, Saxena has had prolonged legal battles with Patkar and Teesta Setalvad through an NGO named National Council for Civil Liberties, founded in 1991. These legal battles are said to be instrumental in clearing various hurdles in the way of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project.
By resharing the video in which Dr Sunilam portrays anti-Gujarat ‘activists’ Medha Patkar and Teesta Setalvad in a good light, AAP Gujarat chairman Isudan Gadhvi and leader Sanjay Singh have clearly extended their support to their actions against Gujarati interests.
It’s appalling, however, that while heaping praise on the two ‘activists,’ the ‘farmer’ leader chooses to ignore their previous misdeeds.
Medha Patkar and her past misdeeds
‘Activist’ Medha Patkar is best known for her ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ against the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river. The protest contributed to the years-long postponement of the Sardar Sarovar Dam project on the Narmada River. So-called social activists and environmentalists like Medha Patkar expressed concern as soon as the construction of the project started. When Medha Patkar visited the project site in 1985, she accused that the dam had fallen short of the social and environmental requirements set forth by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Interestingly, the social ‘activist’, who has been receiving accolades from AAP leaders and their supporters also had an FIR filed against her in a cheating case in July this year. Medha Patkar and several others were accused of misusing funds in the name of educating tribal children.
Prior to this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also filed an FIR against activist Medha Patkar on April 5 this year for suspected money laundering during the “Narmada Bachao Andolan”. In addition to the ED, investigations into Patkar’s shady dealings have also been initiated by the Department of Revenue Intelligence and the Income Tax Department.
Recently, there have been speculations that AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal will announce Medha Patkar as his party’s CM face for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections. The Party has, however, neither confirmed the news nor denied it.
Medha Patkar was an AAP candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai. She had, however, been defeated by the BJP’s Kirit Somaiya by a huge margin. While rumors abound that Patkar will be the AAP Gujarat CM face, it is worth noting that she announced her departure from the Aam Aadmi Party in 2015, calling its working a “tamasha.”
Teesta Setalvad and her activities related to Gujarat riots case
‘Activist’ Teesta Setalvad is widely respected in liberal echo chambers as a great humanitarian activist who has dedicated her life to the welfare of marginalised communities. The truth, however, is far from it. She rose to national fame due to her involvement in the Gujarat Riots case and the dedicated campaign she ran against then Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
In June this year, the so-called activist Teesta Setalvad was taken into custody in a case of forgery and influencing witnesses during the investigation of the Gujarat riots in 2002 that occurred after 59 Hindus were burned to death in a train in Godhra. Teesta Setalvad is accused of coaching witnesses and making ridiculous accusations in several cases related to the Gujarat riots in 2002.
The development came a day after the Supreme Court rejected claims of a larger conspiracy into the Gujarat riots by PM Narendra Modi. It had accused Teesta Setalvad of exploiting the emotions of petitioner Zakiya Jafri.
