[IAC#RG] Comments of Ashutosh re Sandeep Kumar

Dear Arvind

We (HRA) are glad that your party has undertaken some partial course correction with Manish promptly clarifying to TV channels that the party (a) disassociates itself from Ashutosh's blog post, and (b) that Sandeep Kumar's acts are indefensible. Your MLA Kapil Mishra has also clarified that Bapu's name should not be used to defend corruption in the party and Ba's letters to Bapu must be read in context.

The problem really is that your party members are mostly uneducated in actual Indian history, being generally schooled in oral Bharatiya traditions rather than recorded Anglo-Indian ones. So it devolves upon me to educate you and Manish about Sarala Devi Chaudhurani and why half-baked denigration of such secular nationalist feminist pioneers will be counter productive in our common war against communalism, corruption and crony capitalism.

1) When you took the oath of office in Feb 2015 your acceptance speech was preceded by the playing of the National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' and succeeded by your rendition of the 'Vande Mataram'. Actually, both these musical works were composed by HRA's composer Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, but I don't suppose Ashutosh knew that when he wrote his rubbish about Sarladebi.

2) It is also strange that you removed AAP spokespersons like Atishi Marlena who openly say and recognise the truth that "Gandhi represented a completely false stream of development" [1] while you kept habitual liars like Ashutosh there.

3) So whereas it may now suit you politically to portray AAP as a neo-Gandhian trader community party, it will certainly have consequences for AAP in Punjab if your party does not publicly clarify its position on Sarladebi Chaudhury - HRA's Mohyal [2] icon from Punjab who popularised the Bande Mataram and spread aggresive nationalism throughout Bengal and Punjab (East and West).

with best regards

Sarbajit Roy