[Background info for those who need it:
1. Sonal Shah, an Indian-American advocate, has been chosen by Barack Obama to work on his transition team. Initially, the news was warmly received by the South Asian community both here in the U.S. and in Europe and India.
2. VHP (English: World Hindu Council) and BJP (English: Indian Peoples' Party) are right wing Hindu extremist political forces in India; they've been directly responsible for inciting massive violence and genocide in India to gain political mileage -- if you're interested, you can read my little book on BJP and its mentor group the RSS (English: National Volunteer Corps). In short, RSS is the Indian version of Christian Coalition or Moral Majority -- it preaches and practices Hindu supremacist doctrine, and its premier leaders have borrowed heavily from the Third Reich.
3. Some non-resident Indian groups here in the U.S. and left-wing scholars have brought new allegations that Sonal Shah and her family have been deeply involved with the Hindu extremist groups: according to them, Shah's father and brother have been active members of VHP and Overseas Friends of BJP. Read one story at:
http://www.twocircles.net/2008nov10/nri_groups_ask_sonal_shah_clarify_vhp_links.html
4. Sonal Shah has vehemently denied her links with any extremists. See one story at
http://www.bjp.com/2008/11/11/sonal-shah-denies-baseless-and-silly-reports-of-rightwing-links/]
I'd like to draw your attention to the newly unfolding saga. I'm troubled by it, especially if there's indeed a nexus. I'd also be greatly troubled if it was another ploy by renegade anti-Hindu extremists (and the far left) to tarnish Shah and consequently, the Obama administration, whom they don't like in the first place (I've had my share of disagreements with the far left); my fear is that only the corporate media and right wing Republicans will take advantage of it.
I invite your thoughts and action. Thank you.
-Partha
P.S. -- It's an utmost irony that RSS, BJP and VHP (and a more fascistic group Shiv Sena -- even its acronym SS is uncanny) are now most powerful in the Western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra; it's ironic because Gandhi, a Gujarati, was assassinated by an ex-RSS member Nathuram Godse, who was from Maharashtra. But that's another story: let me know if you're interested to hear it.
###
