Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding Editor of the leftist propaganda website ‘The Wire’, is not exactly known for his journalistic ethics. In fact, he is a cautionary tale. He is, among other things, known for how he suppressed the Vadra land scam story for 7 long months. He is also known for publishing shoddy hitjobs which have been busted before he could say the word “propaganda”. His hitjobs on Jay Shah, Shaurya Doval, Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal were debunked in a matter of hours.
Despite his legendary reputation, Siddharth Varadarajan, who has MK Venu of Radia tapes fame and an abusive troll for colleagues, thinks it is acceptable for him to first spread hate, then defend the hate when called out, and having run out of options to defend himself, indulge is ad hominem attacks and threats.
The usual suspects were today distraught about his cabal’s carefully concocted tales of Hindu Terror being mercilessly shattered by the NIA court. All accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case were acquitted. He took to Twitter (his usual propaganda playing field) and questioned the NIA, the courts, and of course, Modi.
Another feather under the cap of Y.C. Modi, hand-picked by Bada Modi to head the NIA. Remember those warnings of Rohini Salian, special prosecutor of the Malegaon case? All of her fears about Hindutva terror accused going scot free are coming to pass https://t.co/RF9MHJRyoY
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) April 16, 2018
Strangely, while Siddarth Varadarajan goes after YC Modi, he forgets to mention that Sharad Kumar had too refuted Rohini Salian’s accusations about how she was asked to go “soft” on 2008 Malegaon blasts. This Indian Express report reads :
“Responding to The Indian Express report on Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian saying she had been asked by the National Investigation Agency to go “soft” on the 2008 Malegaon blasts case from the time “the new government came to power”, NIA Director General Sharad Kumar on Thursday said there was “no question of going soft” on any accused”.
Today, Assistant Professor at Delhi University Abhinav Prakash refuted Varadarajan’s claim by pointing out that perhaps he wouldn’t have reacted with such disdain if a Muslim man was acquitted of terror charges. He responded with the usual humbug.
It would be, if (1) the acquittal had been preceded by a prosecutor going public about instructions from NIA bosses saying ‘go easy on the accused’, (2) party in power had campaigned for the release of the accused. (Sincere advice: not everything in the world is about Muslims)
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) April 16, 2018
He, of course, fails to mention that Sonia Gandhi had “wept” for Batla House victims. But that is for another time.
Abhinav responded with a scathing tweet that exposed Varadarajan’s hypocrisy and hate mongering further.
Political parties & ‘civil society’ groups have extensively campaigned for other terror accused esp when they are Muslims. Prez of the then ruling party even dropped tears for them. A sincere advise: Not everything in the world is about Hindus & Hindutva 🙂
— Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) April 16, 2018
Perhaps Abhinav made one vital error. He assumed that logical arguments would work with propagandists. He also assumed that his entire propaganda was not “all about Hindus and Hindutva”.
After Abhinav caught Siddharth Varadarajan on the wrong foot and summarily exposed his hypocrisy, Siddharth Varadarajan resorted to ad hominem attacks and threats.
What does it mean? What punishment? Are u threatening me?
— Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) April 16, 2018
After threatening him came the ad hominem attack. The “how dare you puny Hindu scholars have the temerity to argue with the Lutyens elite”.
Losing & argument & claiming a “moral victory”. I sure wish you more such “moral victories”. Thanks for revealing your class & grade. Always suspected it.
— Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) April 16, 2018
In the recent times, the rallying point for most “secular” and “liberal” “intellectuals” has become the rights of Dalits and Muslims. They have proclaimed their love for Dalits from the rooftops, even though, they have done absolutely nothing tangible to fight for the rights of the marginalised. So much so, that the brand new Editor’s Guild of India has no Dalit or Muslim face.
Abhinav Prakash himself is a Dalit Scholar and the fact is mentioned prominently in his Twitter bio.
Abhinav Prakash wears his identity on his sleeve. Siddharth Varadarajan’s took it upon himself to be patronising, antagonising and threatening to a Dalit. The elitist mentality dripping from every word that was uttered. Every sentence was loaded with disdain for a lower caste man who dared to speak up and challenge their preconceived notions of what a Dalit should be. A subservient victim who should be indebted for their empty, hollow rhetoric.
Soon, many demanded that Varadarajan be booked under the atrocities act for threatening a Dalit scholar.
Shouldnt Sid Varadarajan be tried under the Atrocities Act for threatening, abusing and trying to shut out an important Dalit voice. pic.twitter.com/HP8XCVgKJ2
— Shrin (@ShrrinG) April 16, 2018
This entire exchange is a shining example of the stupendous intolerance of the ones who claim to be the vanguards of freedom of speech and tolerance. The self-proclaimed “liberals” shed their masks and display their true intolerant, hollow self as soon as their authority is challenged. Their ego perhaps too fragile to endure the questions thrown at them by the ones who don’t belong to, or don’t wish to belong to the Lutyens elite, wine-and-dine circle.
It remains to be seen if the torch bearers of Dalit rights would get off his high horse, conceded that he lost the argument and apologise to the Dalit scholar who exposed his hypocrisy to the world.
