Who Is Sunil Sharma, Congress Leader Dropped From Jaipur Seat Amid Row Over 'Ties' With Right-Wing Forum — All You Need To Know
Posts on social media surfaced questioning the Congress party's choice of candidate days after it fielded Sunil Sharma over allegations of his association with The Jaipur Dialogues, a Right-leaning platform.
Congress party's Sunil Sharma lost his Jaipur Lok Sabha seat candidature as he found himself embroiled in controversy following allegations of his association with 'The Jaipur Dialogues', a Right-leaning platform that has made content critical of the Congress and its leaders, especially the Gandhi family. The issue gained traction on social media, prompting a response from senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
Posts on social media surfaced questioning the Congress party's choice of candidate, sharing how The Jaipur Dialogues has attacked the party in the past and has also posted controversial opinions on communal matters.
In a post on X, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor also questioned Sharma’s association with the right-wing platform, suggesting, “He must have undergone some sort of Pauline epiphany on the road to 24 Akbar!”
He went on to share the link of a previous post of The Jaipur Dialogues’ on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, targeting him.
As the controversy refused to end, Sharma distanced himself from The Jaipur Dialogues, emphasising his commitment to Congress values.
“I was never associated with the management of The Jaipur Dialogues YouTube channel. I am often invited by TV and YouTube channels as a panelist to put forward Congress’s perspective. In the same way, The Jaipur Dialogues invited me to speak on social issues and elaborate on the Congress vision. There I strongly opposed religious bigotry,” he said in a statement in Hindi, posted on X.
— Sunil Sharma (@I_SunilSharma) March 23, 2024
In an English post, he stated, “I am in no way related to the Jaipur dialogues YouTube channel or Twitter handle. This is completely fake news and false propaganda being floated to diminish the prospects of the Congress Party.”
I am in no way related to the Jaipur dialogues YouTube channel or Twitter handle. This is completely fake news and false propaganda being floated to diminish the prospects of the Congress Party.
— Sunil Sharma (@I_SunilSharma) March 23, 2024
However, reports cite publicly available data such as on the Zauba Corp website as informing that he has served as one of the directors at The Jaipur Dialogues Forum and a purported video of him speaking about his early association with the forum, including as director, has also surfaced on social media.
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Who Is Sunil Sharma?
Sunil Sharma hails from Jaipur and serves as the Chairman and Chancellor of the private Suresh Gyan Vihar University (SGVU).
As per the SGVU website, Sunil Sharma obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Rajasthan University in 1984 A.D and followed it up with a Degree in Law in 1987 A.D.
“He has experience of over 20 years as a Legal Consultant. Apart from being the Chairman of the Gyan Vihar Universe, he is also the Vice President of Sahitya Sadawart Samiti and various important portfolios of assorted Non-Governmental educational organizations,” the website states.
Denying any active involvement with the management of The Jaipur Dialogues, he emphasised his family's longstanding association dating back to the 1930s and said he has been continuously working for the Congress Party since 1981.
He says his father was a general secretary in the Congress Socialist Party and was also lodged in jail during the freedom struggle, the Indian Express reported. His brother, late Suresh Sharma, was also the Jaipur district president of the Congress party and had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Jaipur in the 1990s, IE’s report mentioned.
About The Jaipur Dialogues
The Jaipur Dialogues, founded in 2016 by former IAS officer Sanjay Dixit, bills itself as a "platform for the right-thinking people." However, it has faced criticism for its content, including videos mocking political figures and controversial views on religious and social issues.
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