Pravin Togadia Does It Again

Media claims Pravin Togadia has made yet another anti-Muslim speech. He claims he didn’t. Here’s what happened.

WrittenBy:Arunabh Saikia
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If you thought that encouraging communal discord through political speeches died a death with Bal Thackeray, think again. There are many politicians to fill Thackeray’s shoes so we don’t miss him. Last week, Pravin Togadia decided to do so while making a political speech and also reminded us that the world’s greatest democratic exercise can also be renamed as the world’s greatest verbal diarrhea exercise.

So what did Pravin Togadia, the International Working President of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), do to catapult himself into the leadership position of the loony loose canon wing of politics? On April 21, The Times Of India reported from Bhavnagar in Gujarat that Togadia on being asked to suggest a solution for a certain housing problem had this to say:

…If he (the current Muslim owner of the disputed property) does not relent, go with stones, tyres and tomatoes to his office…There is nothing wrong in it…. I have done it in the past and Muslims have lost both property and money…

Every news organisation worth its salt ensured Togadia was the man of the day. Opposition leaders rose to the occasion with delight, “condemning” Togadia and exhorting a certain man from Gujarat, currently on an extensive Bharat Yatra, to clarify his stand on the issue even though he’s known to not be on the best terms with Togadia. In short, the exact same sequence of events that follows every “hate speech” played out here too with clinical precision. The players, albeit with minor changes in their roles, were the same as well. However, what was slightly different (at least vis-à-vis recent episodes) was that the main player refused to stand by his initial act.

Pravin Togadia, whose trysts with public speaking have not been the most civil to say the least – denied having said what was quoted by TOI reporter, Vijaysinh Parmar.  Togadia sent a legal notice to TOI (and two other media houses) charging them with defamation. To augment the notice, Togadia also sent out a barrage of double-edged tweets, defending himself and attacking news organisations for publishing “malicious reports” against him.

Togadia wasn’t left to fight his battle alone. Ram Madhav, the spokesperson of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh  (RSS) told NDTV that that he had spoken to Togadia and he had been misquoted. Madhav later clarified, though, that the RSS disapproved of any discrimination on religious or caste lines.

All this while, Togadia seemed to be unaware that the reporter had a tape supporting his claim as is apparent from this tweet. But Togadia did manage to conceal his surprise when he found out about the tape.

With conspiracy theories flying thick and fast and a lot of the Twitterati already attributing the incident to “newstraders”, Newslaundry contacted the reporter who was responsible for breaking the story. When asked how he got to know about a supposedly impromptu ((according to the legal notice sent by Togadia) gathering at 1 am, Parmar said that a “local reporter” had given him a tip-off. “It’s election time and it’s my duty to cover a rally, however small, addressed by an important leader.”  When we asked him if he was the one who shot the video, Parmar said that a photojournalist who regular assisted him on his assignments shot it.  We also enquired if it’s standard procedure – considering he is a print reporter – to have video recordings to supplement his print reports. Parmar said that they decided to shoot it because of the current political climate. Smart boy.

Parmar’s account completely contradicts Togadia’s claim that it was an impromptu rally which he had no prior knowledge of. Parmar specifically mentions that the local media tipped him off, which means the gathering was pre-planned.  Togadia’s accusation – clearly made in afterthought  – that the tape is doctored, also comes across as more defensive than anything else. Credit should go to Parmar’s sound instincts as a reporter.  He sensed a story and followed it – and made sure he had proof to back him up.

Togadia’s failing logic and flailing attempts to defend himself are on further display in the legal notice. He claims that his Z-Category security was compromised for the sake of a planted story. The only thing that seemed to be compromised is the truth and communal harmony, and Togadia can take full credit for both.

In the meantime, the Election Commission has taken cognisance of the TOI report and has directed the district administration of Bhavnagar to file an FIR against Togadia. The tape’s authenticity will be verified soon and going by Togadia’s track record – and more importantly the specifics of this case – the “renowned cancer surgeon” should start thinking up some more creative tweets to defend himself.

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