EXCLUSIVE: The Rahul Gandhi link in LSE anti-India Hinduphobia case

London: The brazen hinduphobic campaign launched against Karan Kataria — an Indian-origin student pursuing Masters in law at London of School of Economics (LSE) who was disqualified from running for general secretary of the student’s union for alleged links with the RSS and Hindu nationalism — was allegedly orchestrated by an academic close to Congress scion Rahul Gandhi. Firstpost has learned that Mukulika Banerjee, who has been a close associate of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, could have been powering this hate campaign against Karan Kataria, ostensibly for having links with the Hindu right, the RSS in particular. Sources told Firstpost that this interference by Banerjee in students’ affairs has already been brought to the notice of the LSE administration. Karan Kataria, speaking to Firstpost, said he would do everything to guard the honour of the India. Mukulika Banerjee is a professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the inaugural director of the LSE’s South Asia Centre. She has long been bandying ‘Muslims under attack in India’ rhetoric in the Western press and, according to sources, is very influential in the academic and policy circles in London. She has been, through her courses, teaching, and supervision, perpetrating Left-Liberal, anti-Hindu propaganda, sources claimed. Mukulika had joined Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and hosted him in London. Concerted anti-Hindu campaign Firstpost has accessed WhatsApp chats where Mukulika Banerjee, a professor who is bound by rules of ethics that bar the academia to interfere in students’ matters, allegedly went out of her way to demonise Karan Kataria for having connections with the RSS. According to evidence, she sent personalised messages to her students on WhatsApp, asking them to cancel Karan Kataria and reject his candidature. [caption id=“attachment_12406672” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Firstpost[/caption] Mukulika when contacted, however, denied having circulated any photos of Karan Kataria with RSS members or messages to cancel him in the student body elections for his RSS, BJP links. [caption id=“attachment_12406782” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Firstpost[/caption] Firstpost has also accessed a call recording where one of the students of LSE can be heard claiming that Mukulika Banerjee called him to convey that Karan had links with the RSS and Hindu right. Interestingly, the student on the phone call wonders if LSE would disqualify Karan, even before the latter was actually disqualified. The student in question also says that disqualification is the only way to throw Karan out of race since if he wins hands down, there is nothing that LSE administration could do, given that the students’ union is autonomous. Following this alleged instigation by Mukulika Banerjee, a malicious campaign was launched against Karan Kataria on almost all social media platforms, including internal fora of the LSE. Firstpost  [caption id=“attachment_12406722” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Firstpost[/caption] Following message was circulated all over social media as a campaign to cancel Karan and get his candidature junked. ‼️ ATTN LSE STUDENTS - KEEP FASCIST ORGANISATIONS OUT OF SU ‼️ Urgent Appeal: We have come to know that an individual who is a likely member of a far-right, queerphobic, and islamophobic organisation in India, is standing for LSESU election. Voting closes at 4PM today! Karan Kataria, LSESU candidate for General Secretary, has links to the Indian far-right fascist organisation, the RSS. Its parallels would be the National Front in the UK and the Ku Klux Klan in the USA https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/20/hindu-supremacists-nationalismtearing-india-apart-modi-bjp-rss-jnu-attacks Karan’s book ‘Bharat’ is published by Indus Scrolls Press which publishes hateful content against minorities. The book was launched by RSS leader J. Nandkumar (https://indusscrolls.com/rss-is-thebiggest-open-university-in-the-world-j-nandakumar) Sources in LSE who wish to stay anonymous fearing backlash have mentioned his membership within RSS. We believe his non-disclosure of this alignment is in violation of LSESU’s campaigning principles of Accountability and Transparency. The RSS and its political offshoot BJP, have made concerted attempts to quell freedom of expression in India, and Mr. Kataria’s claim to support BAME and Queer students is questionable given the movement’s contempt towards religious and sexual minorities. Mukulika Banerjee & her Rahul Gandhi connect Mukulika Banerjee is a professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the inaugural director of the LSE South Asia Center. She is known to be a Narendra Modi-baiter, opposed to the RSS and Hindu right. In January, 2020, she authored an article in the Sunday Times, titled, ‘Modi parades his hatred of Muslims and makes a mockery of India’s constitution’. She also joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra and wrote a damning piece for The Guardian.

Once the Yatra was over, she is believed to be instrumental in arranging many events during Rahul Gandhi’s London tour. Among other events, she was instrumental in making sure the event at the House of Commons was held, which she personally moderated. It is here that Rahul Gandhi made the ‘Indian democracy in danger’ speech, eliciting foreign help to ‘save’ it. On earlier occasions too Mukulika Banerjee presented Rahul Gandhi with her good offices to deliver addresses LSE South Asia Centre of which she is director.

She even went on Pakistan’s Dawn News to defend Rahul Gandhi and the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

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