Never said Narendra Modi is incorruptible: WikiLeaks

Whistle-blower organisation WikiLeaks on Sunday night sought to clear its stand on BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi it had at no point said he was ‘incorruptible’ but had merely revealed what a Congress leader had said. [caption id=“attachment_1437831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Julian Assange and Narendra Modi.[/caption] In a series of tweets, the whistlebower organisation said, “No WikiLeaks document say #Modi is ‘incorruptable’, rather he is popular because ‘viewed’ as ‘incorruptable’.” With barely a month left for the Lok Sabha elections, right wing supporters on social media have been circulating images which show WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange endorsing Modi in an alleged quote that says “America is scared of Narendra Modi as America knows Modi is incorruptible.” The quote relies on a cable leaked by Wikileaks wherein US ambassador and Mumbai consular general Michael S Owen met Congress leader Yuraj Digvijay Sinhji in 2006. According to the cable, Sinjhi had said that Modi would crack down on corruption within the BJP if he were to become a national leader. “Modi’s reputation for being completely incorruptible is accurate, and if he were to become a national leader he would crack down on corruption throughout the BJP,” he supposedly told Owen. The cable also reports another meeting between Owen and Congress leader Manoharsinh Jadeja where Jadeja is reported to have said. “Modi’s accomplishments are undeniable… and admitted that the Congress would make little headway against the BJP in Gujarat anytime soon.” Jadeja further says that his party, the Congress, could make little headway in Gujarat as Modi was now (in 2006) very popular among the Muslims as well. “…even Muslims are now supporting him to some extent because he is viewed as someone who is completely incorruptible and can deliver the goods,” the cable quotes him as saying. Owen then writes in a comment at the end of the alleged cable that he believes Sinhji’s comments on Modi are ‘indeed accurate’. “Modi is clearly not going to apologize or back down on the violence of 2002, but we think it is vital for him to hear that we are not going to let the passage of time erase the memory of these events… Ironically the man most hold accountable for the communal violence of 2002 may now be the most ardent defender of communal harmony, at least on the surface. It remains to be seen to what extent Gujarat’s economic boom will lead to genuinely improved communal relations over time.” Reacting to the tweets, BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told news agency ANI that no endorsement from Wikileaks was needed for their PM candidate. “We don’t need a certificate from Wikileaks or Assange on Modiji.” You can read the WikiLeaks tweets below.   

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