Congress candidate from Mumbai North, actress Urmila Matondkar has said that she has joined Congress because the ‘religion which is known for its religious tolerance has turned out to be the most violent religion of them all’.

Urmila was speaking to Rajdeep Sardesai of India Today where she said that such ‘acts of hatred and religious intolerance’ are applauded under the Modi government. She adds that India is already in a state of dictatorship and is rapidly going in a state of anarchy where “people are thinking violence is the only way to be.” She adds how there is “complete lack of freedom of expression” and “freedom of any sort” under the Modi government.

However, Matondkar, who was repeating the narrative set by Congress President Rahul Gandhi very conveniently forgets the crimes committed on Hindus, the religion she describes as ‘most violent’. In fact, it is not just Matondkar, but an entire narrative is built painstakingly with selective information to say that India has become more intolerant in last five years when it is not the case. Mainstream media and politicians ignore the crimes perpetrated by Muslims on Dalits, Hindus and even on fellow Muslims only to build the narrative that only Hindus commit such crimes.

In Congress ruled Madhya Pradesh, an RSS worker was found murdered in Raltam. That was the fourth murder in ten days’ time. In February this year, an activist was found brutally murdered in Tamil Nadu hours after he stopped Muslims from forcefully converting Hindus. As per reports, 42-year-old Ramalingam was assaulted in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district on his way back home by a group of unidentified people and his hands were chopped off. Ramalingam died on the way to the hospital due to excessive bleeding. In Bihar, a man was beheaded in Bihar for naming a ‘chowk’ after Prime Minister Modi.

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Kerala also has a bloody history especially when it comes to murders of Hindu activists. In July last year, four members of Islamist outfits SDPI and PFI were arrested in connection with murder of 20-year-old CPM’s student leader, Abhimanyu. The Islamist outfit Popular Front of India has been accused of extreme communalism and has a long history of resorting to violence against their political opponents. It is also accused by the National Investigation Agency for being involved in love-jihad cases in Kerala. Recently, the SDPI members were also arrested in connection with the brutal murder of ABVP worker in Kannur. Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi has chosen Wayanad as his second ‘safe seat’ for contesting the 2019 elections. As per Congress leaders, it was chosen because Hindus are in minority there.

Urmila above parroted what Rahul Gandhi has been saying in his public appearances. In January this year, while addressing a public gathering in Amethi, Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Modi indulges in spreading hatred. He insinuated that PM Modi has been directly responsible for making different sections of people fight each other.

Rahul Gandhi and Urmila have forgotten their own party leaders who are actually caught spreading hate. And we don’t even have to go as back in the time as 1984. The narrative building is aided by biased websites backed by Congress leaders, directly or indirectly, compile faulty data to further their anti-Hindu bias.

In April 2018, when 38-year old Dalit man Vidharam Katheria was bludgeoned to death by a group of Muslim men over a family dispute. In January 2018, the severed head of one Palakuri Ramesh Goud was found on a flagpost near a mosque, in an area thickly populated by Muslims. His body was traced about a kilometre away. This does not get much outrage, no candle marches, no award wapasi. However, when Junaid was killed over seat dispute in train, everyone shouts ‘intolerance is rising’ despite the fact that the court had given a verdict that it was not a hate crime.

In August last year, one Babu Khan was beaten up in a mosque for participating in the Kanwar Yatra. No outrage because the religion of victim as well as perpetrators is Muslim. However, when a Dalit man was allegedly slapped and harassed for converting to Islam by Hindus, it is still a hate crime.

On 31st July, 2017, a group of Kanwariyas were attacked. Kanwariyas are Shiva disciples who make annual pilgrimages to various places in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Bihar to fetch holy water of Ganga river. The holy month of Shravan is when the pilgrimage is undertaken. Guess Urmila does not think this is ‘hate crime’ enough.

On 2nd July, 2017, in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, a personal fight turned communal when one Kamil Raza and his friends threw casteist slurs at one Sunil and his friends who belong to the Dalit community. On 7th July, 2017, in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, youth belonging to Muslim community attacked youth belonging to Dalit community, following which there was communal tension in the area.

In November, 2015, 23 year old Gaurav was killed in an alleged scuffle with his Muslim neighbours who objected to Diwali firecrackers. In January, 2016, 17 year old Saavan Rathod was burnt alive by Muslims after he identified himself as a Hindu — a typical hate crime.

We had earlier reported how Hindustan Times had also launched a biased ‘hate tracker’ which had similar biased reporting and factual flaws. IndiaSpend’s ‘fact-checker’ website also launched a ‘tracker’ which tried to track ‘cow-related’ crimes‘. That data was also equally flawed and biased.

Abhishek Banerjee, a columnist with OpIndia, had written about how IndiaSpend have regularly indulged in peddling this narrative. They had earlier filed a report how 87 people had died in cow-related violence since 2010, of which 97% of the crimes happened after Modi came to power. The above ‘interactive fact-check’ map is an extension of the same report’. As can be seen even then that their ‘research’ was based on ‘Google search’ with particular keywords.

In fact, since charity begins at home, perhaps Urmila could start with questioning her party president Rahul Gandhi who has given hints of a massive crackdown on the RSS if voted to power. We had written how with the help of the propaganda outlets under its wing, Congress will demonise the RSS and build a narrative that the crackdown on the RSS is necessary. That the media outlets which are busy whitewashing the murders of RSS and BJP workers in Kerala and Bengal will justify the raids and shutting down of RSS Shakhas.