A recent episode of The News Minute’s “South Central” podcast, which positioned itself as a nuanced discussion on Hindutva, instead revealed a deep-seated bias and a troubling reliance on stereotypes from its panelists. The conversation, featuring academic V Geeta and ‘journalists’ Dhanya Rajendran, Anisha Sheth, and Sudipto Mondal, was less an analysis and more an exhibition of the very intellectual laziness and prejudice they claim to oppose.
Sudipto’s Bigotry: “A Bunch Of Not Very Fit Men, Mostly Brahmins”
The most jarring moment came from Sudipto, who dismissively referred to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as “a bunch of not very fit men who are not storm troopers. They are mostly the Brahmins.” This statement is not analysis; it is pure, unadulterated bigotry. What Sudipto does is –
Casteist Stereotyping: To reduce a vast, 100-year-old organization with millions of members from every stratum of Indian society to a “mostly Brahmin” club is factually false and intellectually dishonest. It resurrects a tired, divisive trope designed to delegitimize a group by framing it as a sectarian project of a single community. Would similar generalizations about the caste composition of any other community or organization be tolerated on a mainstream platform?
Ad Hominem Attacks: Instead of engaging with the RSS’s ideology or activities, Sudipto resorts to mocking the physical fitness of its members. This is the lowest form of argument, an ad hominem attack that reveals a complete lack of substantive critique. It is a tactic used when one has run out of logical points to make.
The Silambam Anecdote: An Unwitting Testimonial For RSS’s Peaceful Nature
Sudipto’s story about carrying a Silambam stick onto the Bangalore metro is perhaps the most profound example of the panel’s lack of self-awareness. He boasts about pretending to be a Sangh Karyakarta to bypass security, implying this shows a “common fear” of the RSS.
Let’s hold this story up to the mirror: What does it actually prove? A man carrying a potential weapon (a stick) was allowed to proceed because he claimed affiliation with an organization known for its discipline and non-violent conduct. The metro security’s assumption was clearly that an RSS volunteer would not misuse the lathi. This anecdote, intended to scare, actually serves as a public testimonial to the RSS’s reputation for peace and order. There are no daily headlines about RSS Swayamsevaks using their lathis as weapons in public unrest. The security’s reaction was based on this observed, historical conduct.
If the commentators on “South Central” wish to be taken seriously as critical voices, they must first hold a mirror to their own prejudices and inconsistent logic. The first step out of their “circular banality” is to abandon bigotry and apply their scrutiny equally, rather than weaponizing it only against their political opponents. The public deserves better than venom; it deserves honest, principled debate.
Previous Instances Of Sudipto Mondal’s Hate Speech
In what can be considered as a Nazi-level hatemongering, Sudipto Mondal made a disturbing remark targeting supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Modi had shared a video of the grand roadshow heled in Bengaluru on his social media platforms. Reacting to this, Sudipto Mondal posted an offensive comment, suggesting that BJP and Modi supporters do not belong to a civilized society and should be subjected to a “re-education programme” once they are “forgiven” — a statement that many found deeply derogatory and reminiscent of extremist rhetoric.
One day we will have to forgive half our population just like Rwanda and Germany did and start a reeducation program for people who we know do not belong in civilized society https://t.co/w8q5oevvhn
— Sudipto Mondal (@mondalsudipto) May 7, 2023
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