New Delhi: BJP leader Kapil Mishra Saturday lashed out at critics who created a storm over his planned participation at the launch of a book on Delhi riots, which was slated for publication by Bloomsbury India next month but has been withdrawn.
Mishra was addressing a virtual launch of the book, Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story, organised by its three authors — Monika Arora, Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra. Other guests included BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav, OpIndia editor Nupur Sharma and film-maker Vivek Agnihotri.
The virtual launch of the book, which alleges that the February 2020 Delhi riots were the result of a pre-planned conspiracy, triggered a row Friday as the invitees included Mishra as guest of honour.
The furore centred on the fact that a provocative speech by the BJP leader is alleged to be among the primary triggers of the Delhi riots, which left at least 53 dead while injuring over 400. The event, Bloomsbury later clarified, was not associated with them. However, as the outcry, including by leading personalities, intensified, Bloomsbury announced Saturday that it is withdrawing the book altogether.
Addressing the event, Mishra said the “custodians of freedom of expression are scared that the book will be published and the truth will come out”.
“They are scared of what will happen if the book is published, or what will happen when it will come out in the market… what will happen when the people will read the book,” he said.
“They are scared of the book because they know this book will expose their lies and bring out the truth of the Delhi riots. These people who are scared of the book, at one point, used to act as the custodians of freedom of expression in the country,” Mishra added.
“Those who used to defend swearing at Bharat Mata by terming it freedom of expression, those who used to abuse Hindu Gods and defended it as freedom of expression, those who used to raise slogans of ‘Afzal Guru zindabad’ or considered slain (Hizbul Mujahideen) commander Burhan Wani their son are scared of this book,” he said. “I want to congratulate the authors that this is the strength of your book.”
The book, he added, is “in fact, the untold truth of the Delhi riots and exposes the intellectual terrorism that was unleashed during that time”.
“I want to congratulate the writers…” he said, criticising the “propaganda” surrounding the Delhi riots, “where (suspended AAP leader) Tahir Hussain, from whose house bombs were recovered, was made into a victim, and those who were responsible for the killings of police personnel were shown as victims”.
“At a time when even international publications were running propaganda against the riots… to decide and bring out the truth is a brave thing,” added Mishra, who was also the guest of honour at the virtual book launch.
The authors, also addressing the event, said they are considering taking legal action against Bloomsbury, while Yadav echoed Mishra’s attack on liberals.
Also Read: Who is Kapil Mishra? BJP leader being blamed for Delhi riots had once called Modi ISI agent
Mishra & Delhi riots
Although Mishra has not been charged by Delhi Police, a provocative speech he delivered in Northeast Delhi amid massive nationwide protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) allegedly served as a trigger for the violence in the capital this February.
Since the CAA seeks to fast-track citizenship for persecuted minorities from India’s three Muslim-dominated neighbours Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the Act was seen by many as a tool against the country’s Islamic community. Many Muslims, along with other Indians, consequently led protests against the law.
One such protest sprang up in Northeast Delhi, at the Jaffrabad Metro station, this February, leading Mishra to threaten vigilante violence if police failed to clear out the area in three days. The riots began hours later.
At the Saturday event, Mishra said the book has scared people “not only here in India but those sitting in New York and Britain who run their lobby”.
“First, they targeted the ordinary people, then police, then judges and lawyers, and now they are targeting researchers, journalists, publishers. They run a campaign against a publisher, a writer,” he said, adding that similar “research” should also be carried out into this month’s Bengaluru riots.
‘Publisher backtracking doesn’t matter’
Delhi Riots 2020 has been authored by lawyer Monika Arora and professors Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra — all of whom are associated with the Right-wing Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA) — and its subjects include the ‘Shaheen Bagh Model’, ‘the Violence in Universities’, and the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Saying they are considering taking legal action against Bloomsbury India, Arora claimed it didn’t matter to them that a publisher has backtracked.
“One publisher or two publisher or three publishers does not make a difference. What makes a difference is whether the Supreme Court will still be able to give impartial decisions today? Or these lobbies will threaten it? Will any Bloomsbury be able to publish properly? Or a lobby will threaten it? Those who talk about the nation, will they be able to raise their voice, or the lobby will threaten them too? We are not scared.”
Arora said, if need be, they will self-publish, which will allow everyone to read the book. “New India is not affected by your lobby,” she added.
The Delhi riots, she added, were the “brainchild of urban Naxals and Islamist jihadists”.
BJP national general secretary Yadav launched the book and said an independent probe should be carried out into the anti-CAA protests in Delhi and the riots.
“The Untold Story tells us the liberals are not fighting for the right to freedom of expression, but the freedom to speak anything they want, even that which harms the country. The Delhi riots were an attempt to wage jihad against the Indian state,” he said.
“India respects all religions. It is the so-called liberals who play to the gallery. Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story exposes them,” he added.
Also Read: Zuckerberg uses Kapil Mishra’s ‘Delhi riots threat’ to outline Facebook’s hate speech policy
Any western businesses, publishing houses or others, please consider this passage and decide if it is safe to invest in India.
‘Saying they are considering taking legal action against Bloomsbury India, Arora claimed it didn’t matter to them that a publisher has backtracked.
“One publisher or two publisher or three publishers does not make a difference. What makes a difference is whether the Supreme Court will still be able to give impartial decisions today? Or these lobbies will threaten it? Will any Bloomsbury be able to publish properly? Or a lobby will threaten it? Those who talk about the nation, will they be able to raise their voice, or the lobby will threaten them too? We are not scared.”
The RSS-BJP has made India into an explosive tinderbox. They polarise society, they create riots, and then they want their alternative news published, and if people do not agree, they will threaten them. The India of Modi is not the investment friendly destination of MMS’s time. India is going along Yugoslavia’s disintegration model and is a high risk country – for its own people and for foreigners. Foreigners will be caught in law suits, and violence unless they agree to the Hindu extremists. That is the message above.
Woh sacred hota hai pagli.
Han sahi pakde hain!
The Bloomsbury refusal to publish this book will ensure that it reaches a far largr audience now. The Leftists have once again cut their own noses to spite the Rightists.
The Hindu extremists can publish their ‘alternative books’ in OpIndia and other such rags. But they wanted to publish their ‘alternative facts’ by a western publisher – so it is more credible. That did not materialise.
All the western media have published already that the riots were organised by the RSS-BJP, and police were shown throwing stones. That cannot be changed by Kapil Mishra. The Bloomsbury episode has in fact highlighted to the world that the BJP runs on hate mongering.
The RSS-BJP cannot change their image. Earlier, the west held back due to India’a market and economy, and they thought Modi in power would lead to self moderation, but clearly the leopard cannot change its spots. With that expectation of self moderation dashed , all that people abroad see is rising Hindu extremism and hate. India’s appeal is gone; people abroad realise a failed economy and running the country on social tensions is not the signs of a rising country. Investors also realise that.
Why ban/ or withdraw a book. It only brings focus on the same, and eventually increases circulation., by bringing focus on the same. Let everyone express their views, after all we all are for freedom of expression.
Such a book will bring circulation only amongst the converted – that is, communal Hindus who believe the minorities organised the riot. Those people support the BJP and believe that anyway.
However, these RSS-BJP fellows wanted a western publisher to publish their alternative facts. That is not going to happen. Western media had already reported the riots were organised by the RSS-BJP,; they shipped in Hindu goons from UP, so it is too late to change that story, and in any case western media send people on the ground and interview the riot victims. Both Hindus and Muslims said the attackers were brought in from outside. The minorities are not in a position to organise riots, ship in people, the Hindus have RSS, BJP, govt. and police. So nobody will buy this line. Yesterday Amnesty International described the BJP’s instigation of the riots. It is a respected and famous NGO.
If your concern is about publishing your alternative story on Delhi riots, there is no bar, and no doubt there will be Hindutva publishers and no doubt there will be Hindus who will buy the book. But if the intention is to convince the outside world, that will not happen – they already know the RSS-BJP was behind it.
There is a typo in the headline. It should be “sacred” instead of “scared”.
Hindu gods scared book or sacred book!!! LOL
Your comment makes no sense at all. May be you should get an education and get your thoughts together, before posting on any forum, at least there would be a slim chance you will look less stupid.
HINDUSTAN KISI KA BAAP KA NAHI HAI !! NA TERA HAI NA MERA HAI !! HAI TO 130 CRORE JANTA KA !!
Ja ke mulla ki god me bath ja waise Bengal me mulla ka hi shashan hai.
it would be stupidity to stop the publication or the its promotion. As in the case of “Urban Naxals” book the blockage of promotion will be make martyrs out of Kapil Mishra and other righwing writers … the Leli gang does not learn . in the mean time the peetadhipathis of left kingdom, ( guha, mehta, Yoya, Sid, Naresh) are fighting among them selves about who let down the secularism in India.