BJP mum as fringe Hindu group targets media

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prefers to look the other way as fringe elements among the Hindu rightwing have increasingly targeted media.

The latest attack came Saturday when a mob of around 20 people, calling themselves members of the Hindu Samrajya Sena, ransacked the office of the NDTV television news network in Ahmedabad, the main city of Gujarat where the BJP last month retained power for a third term.

The same night, unidentified people threw stones at the NDTV office in Bhopal, capital of another BJP-ruled state, Madhya Pradesh.

In the Gujarat attack, the radical Hindu activists were protesting against an SMS opinion poll being conducted by the TV channel, asking its viewers to name their candidates for Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

The list included painter M.F. Husain, who has been away from India following a number of court cases filed against him by Hindu groups alleging his works hurt their religious sentiments.

The attackers ransacked the office, broke windowpanes, air conditioners and electrical fittings and damaged other equipment. A staff member was beaten up with hockey sticks.

While Gujarat's Home Minister Amit Shah condemned the attack, the party was yet to do so.

BJP spokespersons here refused to comment on the incident. "Who will support violence? However, I cannot comment on the issue," a BJP office-bearer said here, not wishing to be identified.

Courtesy:aol.in
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