Sanjay Nirupam has got a reprieve on publication of the controversial articles about first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Congress President Sonia Gandhi published in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Congress Darshan’. The party leadership has told Nirupam, editor of the magazine to be more careful in future that is it. I was amazed to see the tolerance level of Gandhi’s and Congress leaders towards their ministers.
Recently, Congress high command had sought an explanation from Nirupam over the issue of articles in a party journal slamming Nehru and terming Sonia Gandhi’s father a “fascist soldier”. The Disciplinary Action Committee of AICC headed by senior leader AK Antony has issued a show-cause notice to Nirupam in the wake of the controversy.
The leadership feels what happened wasn’t deliberate and only a slip. The leadership feels that the matter ends here.
After random humiliation and embarrassment the Congress party sacked the content editor of its journal “Congress Darshan” for publishing divisive articles criticising former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy on Kashmir and alleging that Sonia Gandhi’s father was a “fascist soldier The move came in response to the publication of articles in the party mouthpiece, which held Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for the present Kashmir situation, and alleged that Sonia Gandhi’s father was a “fascist soldier” – leaving the Grand Old Party squirming. An unsigned article in “Congress Darshan” referred to the allegation that Sonia’s father was a member of the Italian fascists that lost to the Russians in the World War. “Sonia Gandhi’s father Stefano Maino was a former fascist soldier,” it alleged. The write-up also described how Sonia quickly rose to the position of party president. It describes her early life in great detail, including her “ambition to become an air-hostess”. Sonia Gandhi registered as a primary member of the Congress in 1997 and became the party’s president in 62 days. She also made an unsuccessful attempt to form a government, same article said.
We all know Sonia Gandhi is an Italian-born Indian politician, who has served as President of the Indian National Congress party since 1998. She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi who belonged to the Nehru–Gandhi family. After her husband’s assassination in 1991, she was invited by Congress leaders to take over the government but she refused and publicly stayed away from politics amidst constant prodding from the party. She finally agreed to join politics in 1997; in 1998, she was elected President of the Congress party. She has served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha since 2004. In September 2010, on being re-elected for the fourth time, she became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party. Her foreign birth has been a subject of much debate and controversy. Also controversial was her alleged friendship with Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, accused of being a middleman in the Bofors scandal. Although Sonia is the fifth foreign-born person to be leader of the Congress Party, she is the first since independence in 1947, but none was so much hated by opposition as mrs Gandhi.
The article not only stopped writing on Sonia but it has further stated that Nehru should have listened to Patel’s views on international affairs and that the relationship between the two leaders remained strained. Despite Patel getting the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, the relations between the two leaders remained strained, and both had threatened to resign time and again. If Nehru had embraced Patel’s foresight, many problems in international affairs would not have arisen, it adds. Both these articles, which did bear the name of their writers, were published in this month’s Hindi edition of ‘Congress Darshan’ as a tribute to the country’s first home minister Sardar Vallabbhai Patel on his death anniversary on December 15. The controversy forced its editor and Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam to order an inquiry even as he claimed he was unaware of the content. Whereas the internal sources said exactly opposite. But still to cover up the controversy, Sudhir Joshi – the content editor of the journal – was sacked by the party, but Nirupam got another life.
