The falsehood indulged in by a TV channel and an anchor continues to play havoc with the polity. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments on SFI activists who attacked his office at Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala were superimposed on a video showing the ghastly murder of a Udaipur tailor by terrorists with a deliberate intent of defaming him on a highly sensitive issue. In fact, Rahul Gandhi was among the first set of leaders to roundly condemn the Udaipur killing. Though the channel and the anchor apologized for the blunder, Rajyavardhan Rathod, a former union minister, and many other leaders continue to share the manipulated video unabashedly. The doctored video which was flagged ‘out of context’ by the Twitter remains in the timelines of BJP activists despite the fact that the video was manipulated and it was accepted by the channel. Rahul said that it was children (SFI activists who are students) who vandalized his office and though it was a mistake the controversy could be rested. It was the mark of sagacity on the part of the Congress leader who has been lampooned and belittled by the social media connected to the BJP and the saffron outfits. One can understand when he was sought to be ridiculed when he makes a mistake. But using the doctored video to make fun of him is idiotic. The Congress had taken the issue to the notice of the BJP national president JP Nadda who did not react till Wednesday morning. Is Nadda supporting the stance of Rajyavardhan Rathod and other mischievous leaders?
There is a polarization among the police force also. Police from a BJP-ruled State behave differently from the police belonging to a non-BJP-ruled State. When the police of Chhattisgarh were trying to nab the anchor since there were cases filed in the Congress-ruled State, the UP police have adroitly kidnapped the anchor and kept him in an undisclosed place. While protecting the anchor of one channel that has caused damage to Rahul’s reputation, the police have arrested another TV personality who was involved in fact check. He dared to call the lies of the BJP leaders and was arrested with an allegation regarding to a content that was posted four years ago. The dual policy on the part of the government and the polarization of almost all sections of the society is not going to do any good to the country. Renowned economist and Nobel laureate Amarthya Sen has warned that the biggest crisis that India is facing today is the ‘possible collapse of the nation.’ He said people should work towards maintaining unity and that divisions should not be made along religious lines. The sooner the trend is reversed the better.
