Radical Hindu groups pose bigger threat, Rahul told US envoy

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Dec 17 (PTI) In controversial comments,Indian
National Congress' General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had told US
Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer that growth of "radicalised
Hindu groups" posed a bigger threat to the country than
militant groups like LeT, according to a leaked American
diplomatic cable.
Rahul during a conversation with the envoy at a
luncheon hosted by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his
residence in July 2009 in honour of visiting Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton also referred to the tensions created by
some of the more polarising figures in the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) such as the Chief Minister of the western Indian
state of Gujarat Narendra Modi, the cable said.
According to a secret US diplomatic cable from New
Delhi released by WikiLeaks, the Congress leader shared his
views with Roemer on a range of political topics, social
challenges, and electoral issues for the Congress party in the
next five years.
"Responding to the Ambassador's query about
Lashkar-e-Taiba's activities in the region and immediate
threat to India, Gandhi said there was evidence of some
support for the group among certain elements in India's
indigenous Muslim community," the cable notes.
"However, Gandhi warned, the bigger threat may be the
growth of radicalised Hindu groups, which create religious
tensions and political confrontations with the Muslim
community," it said.
The cable dated August 3, 2009 which described Roemer's
luncheon encounter with Gandhi on July 20, 2009, said Gandhi
was referring to the tensions created by some of the more
polarising figures in the BJP such as Gujarat Chief
Minister Narendra Modi.
"The risk of a 'home-grown' extremist front, reacting
to terror attacks coming from Pakistan or from Islamist groups
in India, was a growing concern and one that demanded constant
attention," it said.
The cable signed off by Roemer says that Gandhi, who
was seated next to the Ambassador, was forthright in
describing the challenges faced by the Congress party and the
UPA government in the months ahead.
When contacted in New Delhi, the US Embassy offered no
comments on the WikiLeaks contents.
The United States, which has accused WikiLeaks of
stealing its secret cables, has refused to either deny or
confirm the authenticity of these cables.
Slamming Rahul, BJP said Congress wants to create a
communal strife so that they can have a vote harvest in the
coming elections.
"They (Congress) are feeling let down by the
corruption scandals and price rise... so they are afraid of
losing elections. This is their old trick...," BJP
spokesperson Tarun Vijay said. (MORE) PTI