Relatives complain, Cong works to stop web slander on Feroze Gandhi
"Scurrilous" remarks appearing in websites and blogs on Feroze Gandhi have become a matter of concern in the Congress party which is exploring legal options to have these removed after some of his relatives approached party president Sonia Gandhi to intervene.
Under the scanner are websites and blogs seen as "maligning" Feroze Gandhi's reputation. One claims, falsely, that Feroze Gandhi concealed his Muslim parentage to ensure there was no obstacle to his marriage with Indira Gandhi. Another speculates on the nature of the "relationship" he had not only with Indira Gandhi but also mother-in-law Kamala Nehru.
Speaking to The Indian Express from Mumbai,
Feroze Gandhi's niece Ratoo Dara Dastur said: "Feroze Gandhi was an honest, great Indian who cannot be maligned in this fashion. I requested my cousin Sonia Gandhi to do something. She spoke with (party spokesman) Abhishek Manu Singhvi and has asked him to look into the matter."
Dastur claims a Mumbai tabloid once wrote a damaging piece on Feroze Gandhi based on statements from these websites and when she asked for a rejoinder, she was asked to produce his birth certificate. "Who would have helped me get a birth certificate issued in 1912? I again requested my cousin (Sonia Gandhi) and with the help of the municipal authorities, now we have a birth certificate," she said.
Sources said the matter is being discussed at the top levels of the Congress with a few general secretaries and legal experts like Singhvi roped in to frame the next course of action.
One of the aspects being looked at is whether this is a planned affair being orchestrated by groups and organisations to defame the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Relatives complain, Cong works to stop web slander on Feroze Gandhi - Indian Express