Author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy is embroiled in controversy since her video touching the feet of a Hindutva right-wing outfit leader in Maharashtra went viral.
In the clip, Murthy, who has served as the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, can be seen bowing before controversial Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide. The incident occurred when Murthy was at Sangli in western Maharashtra on Monday (7 November) to interact with her readers at a promotional event for her books.
The photos and videos of the meeting surfaced on social media and soon snowballed into a controversy with many targetting the wife of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.
Why has a row erupted over Sudha Murthy meeting Sambhaji Bhide? Did Sudha Murthy share the video on Twitter? Why is Twitter split over the video? Who is Sambhaji Bhide? We explain.
Sudha Murthy’s meet with Sambhaji Bhide raises eyebrows
Sudha Murthy‘s meeting with Sambhaji Bhide, who is the head of Shri Shiv Pratisthan Hindustan, comes days after he refused to talk to a journalist because she was not wearing a bindi.
A huge controversy had erupted and the right-wing outfit leader was served a notice by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW).
“You refused to talk to a woman journalist because she did not put a bindi on her forehead. A woman is recognized by the quality of her work. Your statement is like bringing down the honor and social prestige of the woman,” MSCW chairperson Rupali Chakankar had said in the notice, as per Deccan Herald.
The incident took place last week when Bhide was in Mantralaya, the state secretariat in Mumbai, to meet Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde.
When approached by the reporter, he slammed her and told her to put a bindi. “Every woman is like Bharat Mata and Bharat Mata is not widow….put a ‘bindi‘, I will speak to you,” Bhide had told the woman journalist, as per Deccan Herald.
Besides making controversial statements, Bhide has also had several cases registered against him in the past.
Sudha Murthy shared video of the meeting?
No.
BOOM reported that the account on Twitter named after the author (@sudhamurty) that shared the video of the meeting was a fake account impersonating her.
A representative at Sudha Murty’s office confirmed that she is not on any social media platform.
“No, this is not her Twitter handle, she does not have any Twitter account. She is neither on Instagram nor Facebook and not on any public social media platform,” a representative from Murthy’s office told BOOM.
Was Sudha Murthy’s meeting with Sambhaji Bhide ‘forced’?
As per media reports, a claim has been made in this regard.
Yojana Yadav, editorial head at Mehta Publishing House, which organised the Sangli event where Murthy was present, has reportedly claimed the local police had asserted that Bhide be allowed to meet Murthy even though he was not invited.
Yadav told news agency PTI that Bhide’s supporters had arrived at the venue without invitation. Due to Bhide’s followers outside the auditorium, “the local police came under pressure and requested us to let Bhide meet Murthy, who was then interacting with the readers”, she told the news agency.
Further, she said that Murthy, who was “visibly annoyed” had to cut short her interaction with her readers to go and meet Bhide.
“She was not aware who Bhide was, so she asked me his age. She bowed before him out of respect accorded to elders,” Yadav told PTI.
The editorial head also claimed that the Hindutva leader told Murthy he wanted to speak with her for one-and-a-half hours who in turn told Bhide she did not have “more than one-and-a-half minutes” for him.
A Facebook post in Marathi by Yadav also did rounds after the video of Murthy meeting Bhide had surfaced. The screenshots of the post were shared by Alt News fact-checker Mohammed Zubair on Twitter.
Twitter reacts
The well-known author was called out by some on Twitter over the video, while others appreciated her.
Taking a dig, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national executive member Preeti Sharma Menon tweeted, “Trust she wore a bindi. When people like Sudha Murthy meet bigots like Bhide, they reveal their true colours.”
Social activist Vishwambhar Choudhari wrote in a tweet,” There is something messed up with us, or else Sudha Murthy would not have buckled under pressure to meet Bhide, leave aside touching his feet.”
Questioning Yadav’s Facebook post, independent journalist Parth MN asked why Murthy’s team has not explained what happened at the event. “Why hasn’t she or her rep endorsed the Facebook post and explained what happened? Is she okay with Bhide using her for his publicity?” he asked.
Sharing the video of the meeting, right-wing columnist Shefali Vaidya said Murthy looked “perfectly at ease” while interacting with Bhide. She claimed Yojana Yadav spread a “fake story” that Murthy was “pressurised” to meet the Hindutva leader and has now deleted her Facebook post after “her lies are exposed”.
Who is Sambhaji Bhide?
Sambhaji Bhide, known as Bhide Guruji, is based out of Sangli and has followers in lakhs in Maharashtra and some other parts of the country.
A former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak, Bhide, who is in his late 80s, had formed Shri Shivpratishthan Hindusthan, in the 1980s. He endorses the legacy of Maratha kings Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
Sambhaji Bhide is a controversial Hindutva leader. Facebook/Sambhajirao Bhide Guruji (File Photo)
Sambhaji Brigade group, which opposes Shinde, has often accused the Hindutva leader of “saffronising” Shivaji and depicting a “distorted” history of the Maratha king, as per Indian Express.
Bhide’s supporters who call themselves ‘Dharkari’ participate in activities such as “Gadkot Mohim“, a mountaineering expedition carried out every year to historic Maratha kingdom forts.
Bhide has remained in news through his controversial statements.
In 2008, FIRs had been filed against him and his supporters for violent protests against the screening of Bollywood film Jodha Akbar. The cases were later dropped, as per Hindustan Times.
In January 2014, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had attended an event, as a key speaker, at the historic Raigad Fort organised by Bhide’s outfit.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had sought Bhide’s blessings ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, reports Indian Express.
He has also received flak for bizarre claims like couples who eat mangoes from his garden are blessed with sons.
Bhide again hit national headlines after he was booked for instigating violence in the Bhima Koregaon clashes in 2018.
A person was killed and several others injured after violence broke out at Koregaon Bhima on 1 January 2018. Lakhs of Dalits, mostly from the Ambedkarite Mahar community, were assembled at the Jaystambh in Perne village for the 200th commemoration of the Battle of Koregaon Bhima.
Notably, Bhide was never arrested in the case.
In May this year, the Pune Rural Police cleared the Hindutva leader of all charges and told the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) that no evidence was found against Bhide and thus the case against him has been dropped.
With inputs from agencies
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