White cap is skull cap: a test case of how facts are twisted and lies are catered to you about Gujarat

Ahmedabad, 28 September 2013

Here is the latest piece of its kind. Which kind? Just read on.

Hindustan Times reports: At a time when controversy is raging on Muslims being asked to wear skull caps to attend BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s public rallies, an RTI query has revealed that Gujarat government had purchased skull caps worth Rs. 4,800 during Modi’s Sadbhavana mission.

False reporting: RTI query has not revealed that Gujarat government had purchased skull caps.

Hindustan Times reports: These skull caps were purchased for the Navsari leg of Modi’s Sadbhavana mission in 2011. One Kalu Odedara had filed an RTI application seeking details on whether public money was spent to buy skull caps to be distributed among those who visited the CM in the day-long Sadbhavna fast at Navsari, which has a significant Muslim population.

False reporting again: On what basis the report says that skull caps were purchased for the Navsari leg of Modi’s Sadbhavana mission in 2011?

Hindustan Times reports: The information officer at the Navsari district collector’s office, RR Gamit, stated in the response that Rs. 4,800 was spent on buying skull caps for Modi’s mission.

False reporting continues: RR Gamit never stated that Rs. 4,800 was spent on buying skull caps for Modi’s mission.

So on what basis we claim that the reporting is false?

Well, here is the copy of RR Gamit’s RTI reply:

Yes it says that Rs. 4,800 caps were purchased, but it nowhere mentions that they were skull caps. This ‘skull caps’ is manufactured fact. The RTI reply clearly mentions that Rs. 4,800 were spent to purchase white caps.

So the Hindustan Times should write it as it is. It should not quote RTI reply as saying ‘skull caps’ and instead write ‘white caps’.

But skull caps are also white, right?

Yes, but these were not skull caps, these were white cricket caps purchased for volunteers, and there are plenty of photographs clicked at Navsari function in which volunteers wearing white cricket caps are spotted.

Now how can we say this? Well, this fact has been stated by the Navsari district administration in August 2012 press release, with photo of cricket cap.

The release clearly says that RTI reply nowhere mentioned that the caps were distributed to one community(Muslims). They were cricket style white caps with red color writing over it ‘Sadbhavana Mission, Prabandhak, Navsari’, and they were given to volunteers who were looking after the traffic, drinking water and sitting arrangements.

So how white cricket caps became Muslim skull caps in Hindustan Times reporting? Well, only Hindustan Times can answer it.

We are seeing this vicious sponsored propaganda against Gujarat ever since year 2002. Don’t we feel enough is enough?

More on this:

The “skull cap lie” exposed by Navsari district administration

Tweets exchanged between DeshGujarat and Gujarat Congress President:

@arjunmodhwadia @digvijaya_28 Please watch this video in which @japanpathak corrects Cedric Prakash on skull cap lie http://t.co/Kxg8FJ2eC5

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) September 24, 2013

@arjunmodhwadia @digvijaya_28 @arunmsk @jaysuryryanaraya They were sun caps for volunteers and not skull caps, that's the point in short.

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) September 24, 2013

Screen shot of the article