“What people have said in response to the false allegations….”
Extract of Article that appeared on ASIAN VOICE – 6th March 2004
By Shrien Dewani General Secretary of NHSF
“The £60,000 raised in 2001 has been used to build five schools in the state of Gujarat – these schools have been visited by NHSF members and therefore we are happy that funds have not been used for any other purpose than that for which they were raised."
“We are not extreme and refute any allegations – direct or indirect that infers that we are”.
By Dhiraj Shah Joint Secretary of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh
Speaking about the BBC's biased reporting of the allegations…
The BBC should at least have investigated the secular credentials of Awaaz before they publicised their unfounded allegations.
“Awaaz, which is predominantly dominated by Muslim and Far-left organisations, claims to be the South Asia Watchdog, but they have been completely silent over ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan . Thirty thousand Kashmiri Hindus have been massacred in Kashmir and half a million have been driven out of their homes by Islamic terrorists and made refugees in their own homeland. Why doesn't the BBC question Awwaz's selective choice of human rights issues to understand the lack of credibility in their reporting?”
By: Dr Wali Tasar Uddin, (a Bangladeshi Muslim from Edinburgh , Scotland )
Dr Wali Tasar Uddin who owns a chain of Indian restaurants, and was one of the delegates that recently visited Gujarat to view the earthquake projects funded by Sewa International said in a Press conference that was held in Rajkot, Gujarat that,
“ This visit has opened my eyes and I sincerely appreciate the work done by SEWA International UK. I would not hesitate to associate myself with this organization in future.”
Rami Ranger, PRO of the Punjabi Society felt that such biased reporting will aggravate racial and religious tension amongst minority communities in Britain .
“We are disturbed by the biased reporting of BBC, which can only be termed irresponsible. It will surely increase disharmony and miss trust amongst the faith communities in Britain ,”
By: Cllr Harshad Patel- Tory Councillor from Brent & Cllr Ramesh Patel – Labour Councillor from Brent
Cllr Harshad Patel commented,
“It is totally wrong to link SEWA to extremism. They are commendable for their excellent relief work at almost no cost. The BBC and other media organisations should ensure that faith communities are given a fair hearing. They should first investigate thoroughly before deciding to give high publicity to mere allegations.”
Labour Councillor from Brent, Cllr Ramesh Patel, added,
“From the beginning the BBC has always been biased and reported against the Hindu community. This has been true on many occasions in the past including their coverage of the Godhra riots and the Gujarat earthquake. SEWA has conducted relief work even amongst Muslims in Kasovo and Turkey . How can they label such an organisation communal? They have never given us a proper chance to respond back”.
By: Jo Thanki Chair of the Hindu Council of Birmingham commenting on the BBC's reporting of the allegations made against Sewa
“It seems that BBC has a bias against one section of the British public”
said Jo Thanki, Chair of he Hindu Council of Birmingham, which represents over 20 organisations in the Midlands .
“It seems like they have not investigated the authenticity of the source of information from Awaaz. If this trend continues, I can assure them that Hindus from Birmingham will not cooperate in any way with the BBC”.
By: Kishore Ruparelia, General Secretary of the VHP UK
“We have been complaining for more than two years against the BBC's anti-Hindu bias, but they have turned a blind eye to our reasoning. Moreover, VHP UK , HSS and SEWA have close relations with national and regional bodies in Britain like the various Hindu Councils and the NCHT. Why has the BBC not asked for the views of these organisations? Such a bias against Hindus is not in keeping with the Government's community cohesion agenda.”
Extract of Article that appeared in EASTERN EYE (5th March 2004 )
Eastern Eye says
"SEWA are yet to be proven guilty of anything and must be given a chance to show that their work is entirely charitable, has no political agenda and they are, as an organisation, entirely transparent."
"AWAAZ too must also clarify their position and underline that they have published this report without a hidden agenda and for the sake of public interest."
Extract of Article that appeared in INDIA WEEKLY– (5th March 2004)
By: Ramesh Kallidai of the Hindu Centre (HINCOM)
Mr Ramesh Kallidai told Indiaweekly:
“If you look at Awaaz's report, they never substantiate their claims with facts and figures. All they had to do is call up SEWA and ask (for sums), but they didn't. That speaks for itself”.
Shantilal Mistry, chair of SEWA International, said:
“We're not that kind of secret organisation, sponsoring fundamentalist. We openly invite donors to come and see the work that is being done. We do not discriminate on the basis of religion, caste… we're not involved in any kind of politics. We've openly said in our leaflets that we are a service project of HSS UK , our donors knew that.”
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