Indian Elections - Varun Gandhi's Hate Speech

[Note to non-Indian visitors and unacquainted Indians: Varun Gandhi, 29, is the nephew of Sonia Gandhi and grandson of Indira Gandhi, former Indian Prime Minister. However, unlike Sonia and Indira who were in the Indian National Congress Party, Varun is in the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party (translated into the Indian People’s Party). This is the first time he is running for office. BJP is not new to inciting religious violence against Muslims (to be fair, some Indian Muslim groups are often involved in acts that give the BJP ‘excuses’ to do what they do. However, the BJP and its sister and mother organizations, the Bajrang Dal, Vishva Hindu Parishad and the RSS, are no less and they are collectively ‘guilty’ at times). In India, Hindu and Muslim fundamentalism feed each other. A regressive Islamic philosophy has met a bigoted Hindu Nationalist one. The BJP derives its cadres from those who believe the Congress “appeases” the minorities (read, “Muslims”) at the expense of “Hindu interests”.]

Here are portions of the speech made by Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit amid a crowd that was reeling in anti-Muslim hatred due to certain incidents in recent local history, as appeared in the Indian Express, March 18 ’09:



I would add here that if the people of that region had really seen outrages by the Muslim community, the campaigning leaders should have spoken about bringing law-and-order and justice to the region. To call for the heads of Muslims is nothing short of barbaric.

After a CD was released of this speech by some private entities, presumably political rivals, Varun denied making any of those statements claiming that the speech was doctored and the voice isn’t his. On TV today, he gave an example of the doctoring. He said he never referred to Muslims as “Katuas” (derogatory term for a Muslim referring to their circumcision – equivalent to calling an African American as ‘nigger’) and instead was referring to “vote Katuas” which he claims means those non-serious political candidates who run in elections to “cut votes” of popular candidates. However yesterday, in the Indian Express, he claimed he was referring to “galat tatvas” roughly meaning “anti-social elements”, and not “Katuas”. He claimed that was added later. Two explanations in two days. And to top that, claims that he “never spoke those words”.

He seems guilty on the face of it. The video doesn’t seem doctored. However, I would be wrong to call him that until and unless he is proven guilty in a court of law. Innocent unless proven otherwise. But hunch is that he isn’t innocent.