New Delhi: Days after the Congress announced him as a candidate, Sunil Sharma, the party’s contender for the Jaipur Lok Sabha seat, found himself on a sticky wicket over his alleged association with The Jaipur Dialogues, a Right-leaning platform known for making videos critical of the Congress and its leaders.
Sharma’s family is said to have a long association with the Congress. He is the chairperson and chancellor of Suresh Gyan Vihar University, a private university in Jaipur.
“Our leaders wanted me to contest the elections so the party’s high command gave me the responsibility…The current situation in Jaipur is painful…The people of Jaipur want a change…,” he had told news agency ANI soon after the announcement Thursday.
On Saturday, Mohammad Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, tweeted that The Jaipur Dialogues is one of the most “hateful” X accounts that posts content against the Congress.
Wow! So Congress has given a ticket to Sunil Sharma, Partner and Director of @JaipurDialogues.
Hello @kharge @RahulGandhi @priyankagandhi, This handle @JaipurDialogues is one of the most hateful X handles. Most content against religion and Congress. pic.twitter.com/1Nk04nFeF4
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) March 23, 2024
Soon, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor responded to Zubair’s post and wrote: “He must have undergone some sort of Pauline epiphany on the road to 24 Akbar! This is just one of several dozen tweets from his handle attacking me.”
He must have undergone some sort of Pauline epiphany on the road to 24 Akbar! This is just one of several dozen tweets from his handle attacking me:https://t.co/mJy9ZyBWG0 https://t.co/3DjWW8dtbq
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 23, 2024
Tharoor further shared the link of a previous post of The Jaipur Dialogues’ on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, targeting him.
Shashi Tharoor is the new Rahul Gandhi!@Sanjay_Dixit #ShashiTharoor #RahulGandhi #TJD #JaipurDialogues pic.twitter.com/aDY6F6FqdC
— The Jaipur Dialogues (@JaipurDialogues) January 19, 2021
As reactions started pouring in, Sharma issued a statement that he parted ways with The Jaipur Dialogues long back, adding that its YouTube channel had invited him to speak on social issues as per the Congress’s vision. “I have advocated the noble traditions of India and have always strongly opposed religious narrow-mindedness,” he said.
He further said that he has severed ties with the directorship of The Jaipur Dialogue Forum, claiming that some people due to vested interests were spreading rumours about him.
“My father Acharya Purushottam Uttam and my elder brother Late Suresh Sharma had devoted their entire life in the service of Congress and I too have been continuously working for the Congress Party since 1981 till now. I am a member, but it was my good fortune that during this period, I got the opportunity to serve the party while holding various posts,” Sharma said in his clarification.
As the controversy unfolds, netizens have been reacting to Sharma’s candidature. “Does Congress give the tickets blindly to anyone without a proper background check. Jaipur Dialogues is an extreme right-wing organization with one of the most detestable and hateful Twitter accounts and Sunil Sharma serves as one of its directors,” posted a social media user on ‘X’.
What is The Jaipur Dialogues?
Founded by former IAS officer Sanjay Dixit in 2016, the Jaipur Dialogues describes itself as a “platform for the right thinking people”.
“The Jaipur Dialogues has garnered attention for its efforts to bring forth diverse perspectives and encourage informed discussions on contemporary issues,” its YouTube bio says. It has 1.41 million subscribers with over 5,000 videos as of now.
In his post, Zubair however shared some of the posts by The Jaipur Dialogues where it mocked former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, shared its views on Muslims, justifying Nathuram Godse killing Mahatma Gandhi, making fun of Palestinian kids and more.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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