$100 million lawsuit filed in New York against $65,000 ad criticizing Sonia Gandhi
A$100 million lawsuit was filed in New York by members of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) against members of the Overseas Friends of BJP, who had placed a $65,000 ad criticizing Sonia Gandhi in The New York Times in October 2007 during her visit to the United Nations, New York. The ad was also followed by protests when Sonia and Rahul Gandhi visited the UN to participate in the International Non-Violence Day.
The full-page advertisement was published on October 6, 2007 by a little known Gandhi Heritage Foundation, many supporters of whose are known to be right wing Hindus. The advertisement showed a caricature of Sonia hitting Mahatma Gandhi with a dagger and argued that the Congress President should not have been allowed by the UN to speak on behalf of India on the occasion of the International Day of Non-violence.
The commercial had drawn widespread protest and resentment from the Indian community in the US, a large number of whom shot off letters of protest to The New York Times. "I have never seen such a demeaning advertisement in The New York Times, George Abraham, a community activist and office bearer of the Indian National Overseas Congress told NDTV.com. "They have done the unGandhain thing they could do,'' he said. Abraham said, the Indian National Overseas Congress had written a letter to the editor in protest. "We are waiting for a response,'' he said.
The NRI groups have argued that she did not misappropriate the name of Mahatma Gandhi. "Gandhi is a common name in India. She was married to late Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister. Hence her name is Mrs Sonia Gandhi. To say that she misappropriated her Gandhi name is an insult to your readers,'' the letter said.
![Sonia_at_UN.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nritoday.net%2Farticles%2Fimages%2Fjuly08%2FSonia_at_UN.jpg&hash=35759d4cf8d185b026ba07fde5d9455d)
A$100 million lawsuit was filed in New York by members of the Indian National Overseas Congress (INOC) against members of the Overseas Friends of BJP, who had placed a $65,000 ad criticizing Sonia Gandhi in The New York Times in October 2007 during her visit to the United Nations, New York. The ad was also followed by protests when Sonia and Rahul Gandhi visited the UN to participate in the International Non-Violence Day.
The full-page advertisement was published on October 6, 2007 by a little known Gandhi Heritage Foundation, many supporters of whose are known to be right wing Hindus. The advertisement showed a caricature of Sonia hitting Mahatma Gandhi with a dagger and argued that the Congress President should not have been allowed by the UN to speak on behalf of India on the occasion of the International Day of Non-violence.
The commercial had drawn widespread protest and resentment from the Indian community in the US, a large number of whom shot off letters of protest to The New York Times. "I have never seen such a demeaning advertisement in The New York Times, George Abraham, a community activist and office bearer of the Indian National Overseas Congress told NDTV.com. "They have done the unGandhain thing they could do,'' he said. Abraham said, the Indian National Overseas Congress had written a letter to the editor in protest. "We are waiting for a response,'' he said.
The NRI groups have argued that she did not misappropriate the name of Mahatma Gandhi. "Gandhi is a common name in India. She was married to late Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister. Hence her name is Mrs Sonia Gandhi. To say that she misappropriated her Gandhi name is an insult to your readers,'' the letter said.
The case was primarily dismissed because INOC had no locus-standi. Why? Clearly INOC was not the party against whom the ad was released. If at all, it should have been Sonia Gandhi herself who should have filed a case. But she didnt. So whenever madam Sonia is accused of something there is someone else doing the dirty work.