India Today journalist Shiv Aroor has been the latest victim of online abuse and bullying by the Congress ecosystem after he had shared a video clip of Rahul Gandhi shaming RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for not having women around him.
On Wednesday (September 15), Aroor had posted a 28-second video, originally published by Asianet News, on his Twitter timeline. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi was heard as saying, “You must have seen 3-4 women around the picture of Gandhiji. Did you see any woman with Mohan Bhagwat? Did you see it? It can never ever happen.” He was addressing a large meeting organised by the All India Mahila Congress.
🤦🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/h59h9Uo5mP
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 15, 2021
Shiv Aroor’s tweet was also accompanied by a ‘facepalm’ emoji. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera retweeted a longer version of Rahul Gandhi’s speech and insinuated that the India Today journalist had deliberately edited out the longer version of the video clip. “Some of us were perhaps wrong in expecting better from Shiv Aroor,” wrote Khera.
Some of us were perhaps wrong in expecting better from @ShivAroor https://t.co/OpRMXohKsF
— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) September 16, 2021
The tweet by the Congress spokesperson, coupled with allegations of ingenuity, invited the wrath of the party’s trolls against the reputed journalist. “One quick question Aroor – Is your father also a thief like you,” asked one Twitter user (hurry808) that had the display picture of Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi fanboy, Armaan, compared the India Today journalist with a ‘traitor’ and a news broker/trader (Dalal). “Mum calls your Dallal as well? Remember, the future generation will call your kids as traitor’s kid,” the Congress supporter wished,
One Gokul Lisha Krishna asked Shiv Aroor when was he doing to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata party.
One quick question for you @ShivAroor. When you are joining Bjp?
— Gokul Lisha Krishna🌹 (@Gokulleopz) September 16, 2021
Following the social media outrage, the noted defence journalist published an extended clip of Rahul Gandhi’s speech. Besides the comparison between Mohan Bhagwat and Mahatma Gandhi in terms of female companionship, he was also heard claiming that the RSS and the BJP are anti-women. “Their organisation subdues/crushes women empowerment. Our organisation gives women a platform. Narendra Modi, RSS did not make any woman their Prime Minister. Only the Congress party did (while referring to his grandmother Indira Gandhi).”
Had quote tweeted a clip from @AsianetNewsEN yesterday. Here’s the full video comment which begins with that clip: https://t.co/wmLtbJgb4m pic.twitter.com/ZHddsQ7DR6
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 16, 2021
It can be observed that the extended version of Rahul Gandhi’s speech is a mere continuation of his earlier statement. In order to claim that the BJP and RSS are anti-women, the Congress scion first drew a comparison between the incumbent RSS Chief and the deceased Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi. The shorter version of the video, in no way, contradicts his later statement and as such, there was no question of quoting Rahul Gandhi out of context.
Despite being well aware of the facts, the Congress trolls continued to attack Shiv Aroor. Unlike the first time, the reactions were more personal, vile and highly objectionable. Congress supporter Ajay Kamath claimed that Shiv Aroor’s mother was right when she said that she was wrong in expecting better from him. Further commenting on his lineage, one Congress troll wrote, “Not surprising…one have to have a lineage for having such a mindset.”
The online abuse soon escalated to threats of physical harm. One Congress supporter warned, “Kabhi raste peh mil… there ko pata chalega r*ndi ki aulad (Meet me someday on the road. I will show you, your place, son of a prostitute).”
Another Congress fanboy wished that Shiv Aroor was killed on the day he was born. “Your family should have killed you the day you were born… Tell your kids you are a pimp,” the man wrote.
Faced with a barrage of abusive tweets, the India Today journalist tried to brush off the matter and said that his tweet helped the trolls earn a living. “Boy, has my Timeline paid a lot of salaries in the last 48 hours,” he concluded.
Boy has my TL paid a lot of salaries in the last 48 hours.
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 17, 2021
Shiv Aroor was targetted, humiliated and called names, only because he had shared a video clip of Congress scion Rahul Gandhi making baseless remarks. The India Today journalist did not make personal attacks on Gandhi and in fact, did not criticise the Congress leader at all. However, for the Congress trolls, ridicule of their leader that he had brought upon himself, is intolerable and must be compensated for through intimidation of other individuals. Be it the ruling BJP leaders or journalists, none have been spared by the trolls for pointing out the obvious.
Intriguingly, Rahul Gandhi’s comment about Mahatma Gandhi being always chaperoned by women has brought under the spotlight the well known but little-discussed aspect of Gandhi’s life: his experiments with celibacy. Though widely known, this unflattering aspect of Gandhi’s life, which involves shocking experiments undertaken to test his sexual resolve, has meticulously been swept under the rug by his supporters and the Congress party. But Rahul’s remarks have inevitably brought to light the controversial practices followed by Gandhiji.
Not only that, Rahul Gandhi was patently lying in the extended video posted by Congress. While claiming that RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat is not seen with women, the claim that the organisation does not support women is patently false. RSS has a thriving women’s wing, The Rashtra Sevika Samiti, where several women voluntary join to serve the nation. It is also the RSS that has repeatedly called for the greater role of women in public life.
While Rahul Gandhi blames BJP for not appointing a woman as the Prime Minister, he forgets that it was the Modi government that had 11 women cabinet ministers, the highest in 17 years.
It is clear that Rahul Gandhi is merely repeating tropes that sound like he wants the progress of women, however, he is either not aware of what the government is doing, given that he is often vacationing, or he does not care if his entire political career, whatever little there is, is based on a plethora of lies.
