Long after the Union Ministry of Culture trashed The New Indian Express article as fake, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi shared the news item on Twitter.
The New Indian Express published a news report on May 28 writing the Union government was planning to study the racial purity of Indians.
The Ministry of Culture trashed the article saying “The Article – Culture Ministry to Study ‘Racial Purity’ of Indians, in Morning Standard on 28th May is misleading, mischievous and contrary to facts. The proposal is not related to establishing genetic history and “trace the purity of races in India” as alluded in article.”
The Ministry of Culture had clarified the issue in a note on May 31. “Culture Ministry has received proposal from Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) for upgrading existing DNA lab in Kolkata to next generation sequencing facilities for certain on-going projects. The proposal is in no way related to establishing genetic history and “trace the purity of races in India” as is being alluded in the article. The proposal is presently being examined on merits.”
The very same day, after the clarification by the ministry, Rahul Gandhi posted the article on Twitter writing “The last time a country had a culture ministry studying ‘racial purity’, it didn’t end well. India wants job security & economic prosperity, not ‘racial purity’, Prime Minister.” Rahul Gandhi was referring to the Nazi concept of racial purity.
The Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy criticized Rahul Gandhi for posting fake news. Shri Reddy said, “Prior to Shri Gandhi’s tweet (probably from somewhere abroad), the Ministry of Culture had already flagged this article as ‘misleading’. Is he oblivious to this or has he intentionally chosen to further propagate such fake news?”
Rahul Gandhi, who is currently holidaying abroad, has a habit of posting fake, misleading news even after it has been established that it’s fake news.
On October 26 last year, Hindus in Tripura had organised Aakrosh Rally to protest the Islamist attack on Hindus in Bangladesh. One such rally in Panisagar, where more than 50 percent were women in the rally, was attacked by Muslims.
The Islamists had started spreading fake news that one mosque in Panisagar was attacked and vandalised by Hindus. The Tripura Police busted the fake news in a series of tweets on October 27.
“During yesterday’s protest rally in Panisagar, North Tripura, no masjid was burnt and the pictures being shared of burning or damaged masjid or collection of sticks etc. are all fake and are not from Tripura. They may be of some other countries”, The Tripura Police had said on October 27.
Rahul Gandhi, on October 28, well after the Tripura Police has busted the fake news, posted a comment on social media saying Muslims in Tripura were under attack.
