Row as Jawaharlal Nehru’s Wikipedia entry altered from Centre’s IP

This attack marred Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Digital India campaign that was launched during the day.

The Congress said, “this is most reprehensible, cheap, unethical, and undemocratic... absolutely gutter tactics”.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said that “prima facie we have enough evidence ... I have the user IP number and Internet Protocol number which establishes that this is a NIC (National Informatics Centre) based alteration of Internet material on Wikipedia to attempt to change it in 2015 the religion of... not only a former PM of India but a world statesman...”

“I am asking... Does it behove any party, even an extremist party in India, leave aside a government in power? Is it part of democracy? How many other dead or alive leaders’ religion is the BJP intending to change... and if this is false, which prima facie it appears absolutely not to be.

“Will the Prime Minister and minister for Information and Technology tell us which FIR has been lodged?” he asked. Mr Singhvi asked if this was yet another aspect of the polarising agenda of the party in power, to indulge in such cheap tactics, or was it the fear of the Bihar elections and its outcome which is making this party (BJP) stoop to such levels. “I don’t think... We have fought politics for long, but what to talk of below the belt, this is not politics at all. This is cheapness at its worst, it is reprehensible and I think ultimately the people will see them for their true character if such cheap tactics are adopted,” he added.

“A deliberate, sinister and malicious attempt was made... to alter the Wikipedia pages of... Jawaharlal Nehru, his father Motilal Nehru and grandfather Gangadhar by showing or attempting to show that their lineage was not ‘Kaul’ of J&K but that the lineage... was Muslim,” AICC communication department chief Randeep Surjewala said.