The News Minute| Bangalore, October 5th, 2014|
Shahid Siddiqui, Editor of the Urdu Magazine Nai Duniya has said he is a victim of a slander campaign and he will seek police action if necessary. “Facts have been misconstrued and misinterpreted. I have been misquoted,” he told The News Minute (TNM) over the telephone from New Delhi.
Siddiqui’s reaction comes after a series of tweets by journalist Tufail Ahmad who took to Twitter quoting headlines and articles from Nai Duniya saying Siddiqui played a nationalist in English but a Hindu hater in Urdu.
According to Ahmad, Siddiqui’s Urdu magazine carried many headlines that were against social fabric of the country, though Siddiqui peddled a 'secular' image in front of other mainstream media, especially the English media. In an exhaustive list of headlines reproduced by Tufail Ahmed, some which stood out where the ones in which Nai Duniya called Taslima Nasreen “Shaitan ki Beti” (devil’s daughter), Salman Rushdie a Shaitaan (devil), Muslims will take revenge for Ishrat Jahan’s death, why is the world against Muslims and how long will you test the patience of Muslims? (with regard to the Sania Mirza daughter-in-law of Pakistan controversy).
Many people commenting on Tufail Ahmed’s Twitter timeline said that Siddiqui had a secular face for the English media and a different one for the Urdu media. Reacting to this Siddiqui said, “I have always supported Modi. I will take police action if necessary.”
When we repeatedly asked him if his magazine did carry these headlines, he said,”Someone else may also have written these in the magazine.”
When asked about the headline 'If he got power, what will Modi become: Akbar or Hitler', Siddiqui replied“I had asked a question if Modi would be an Akbar and a Hitler, I had concluded that Modi would be an Akbar as he was all inclusive and works for peace.”
Siddique told TNM he had not seen the tweets but would deliver a fitting response shortly. The editor turned politicians has been one of Narendra Modi’s strongest supporters in the run-up to the general elections in 2014.
Shahid Siddiqui sells Muslim victimhood -- headlines: Why is the whole world enemy of Muslims? http://t.co/bmi6qhBnwo pic.twitter.com/bYaXnLFcKu
— Tufail Ahmad (@tufailelif) October 5, 2014Shahid Siddiqui's headlines on "Pakistan" controversy re Sania Mirza:"How long will you test the patience of Muslims" pic.twitter.com/Mmp0YwavCb
— Tufail Ahmad (@tufailelif) October 5, 2014Shahid Siddiqui's coverpage headlines: "If he got power, what will Modi become: Akbar or Hitler" pic.twitter.com/LGqG6OiGoG
— Tufail Ahmad (@tufailelif) October 5, 2014